
In a sleek, near‑future London where a new technocratic order promises comfort while breeding a hidden class of dangerous offenders, a covert unit of the UN Psychodeviant Police keeps a close watch on the city’s shadows. Agent David Houston, stationed at a bustling bank, receives a cryptic tip that a seemingly respectable baronet, Sir Lewis Huntley, may be concealing a far more sinister purpose. Using discreet throat mics and a network of hidden listeners, he watches the man's routine deposit, trying to decide whether the quiet transaction hides a dangerous threat.
As the fog rolls over Leadenhall Street, Houston must shadow Huntley through crowded streets, balancing the risk of exposure against the urgency of the unseen pursuit. His handler in the headquarters feeds him fragmented intel, reminding him that the line between law‑enforcement and lawlessness has blurred since the atomic age reshaped society. The tension builds as Houston grapples with the question: is the baronet merely a well‑heeled client, or the first sign of a new wave of high‑level criminals the new regime struggles to contain?
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (99K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2008-04-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1927–1987
A lively, versatile voice in mid-20th-century science fiction and fantasy, he wrote everything from space adventure to clever mystery-fantasy crossovers. He is especially remembered for the Lord Darcy stories, which blend detective fiction with an alternate world shaped by magic.
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