After a gruesome death at the Reform, London’s grandest gentleman’s club in 1842, Captain William Avery is persuaded to investigate. He discovers a web of personal and political rivalries simmering behind the club’s handsome facade, particularly concerning resident chef Alexis Soyer, whose culinary brilliance is only matched by his talent for self-publicity. Without the help of the absent Jeremiah Blake, Avery must work out if the first death was a dress rehearsal for something much more sinister before it is too late.