One steamy summer a few years from now stinks of blood & greed. Crime in the giant Chicago regionplex climbs to an unprecedented high. Homicides top the list. 

Now, the monstrous murder of a long-term resident at the ancient Hotel Literati, the famous inaugural poet laureate and Creole activist, Sybil Thibodaux, makes national news. The case catches influential eyes who exert pressure for a quick & public disposition.

Detective Chance McQuillan negotiates for the case's lead. She recruits a reluctant Sir Aubrey Greigh, a civilian who also lives at The Lit, to consult when the case stalls. Immediately, powerful forces sabotage their case. Why?

Greigh, a mystery writer, recognizes this case for what it is—the linch pin to a sordid conspiracy with a goal that eclipses the evidence & their collective imagination.