This is the sixth book deTroloppe I read and I admit that it is one which I was least favorite. First, I made the mistake of not checking the format and got a huge volume A4 heavy and awkward to hold and read. The hero Phinea, is found in London and returned to the House of Commons. But one of his political enemies is murdered. He is accused of the crime and imprisoned. Much of the novel revolves around the trial and the final acknowledgment. Meanwhile he finds his former love Laura, who married a rich man and unbearable that she left what was scandalous in the 19th century. She still loves Phineas but it will do him more. She is desperate! The whole story is in the romantic taste of the time (we're in the middle of the 19th century) and a little crybaby. As always, style is alert and the book is not boring, but this is not a book that is essential reading.