This is latest offering from the Author featuring Commander William Monk , of the River Police , his wife Hester and their 'adopted' son Scuff .
Monk is called to a gruesome murder, one of the worst he has seen, of a Hungarian immigrant .
His body has been discovered by a fellow immigrant, Anatol Dobokar, covered in blood, a bayonet through his body and 17 candles around the room , 2 of which are purple.
Monk finds the language barrier a major problem in trying to find the killer .... so takes up the offer by Anatol , who has an alibi for the murder , to act as translator ... he fears that the murderer comes from the immigrant community .
Unable to find a reason for the murder Monk is stunned to be called to yet another murder , with exactly the same 17 candles and gruesome blood and destruction .
Meanwhile Scuff is being trained by Dr Crow to become a Doctor himself - and decides he should now be known as Will . In the course of the treatment of a Hungarian immigrant Scuff finds an English Doctor able to translate for them .
He is surprised to find that the Doctor/Surgeon is an old acquaintance of Hester from the Crimean battlefields , long presumed dead .
Dr Hubert Fitzherbert is suffering from severe PTSD and when found covered in blood by Scuff , with no memory of what has happened to him , becomes the prime suspect in the murders.
Hester is convinced of his innocence and is determined to find evidence to clear his name BUT further murders take place and he is arrested , initially to protect him from the angry immigrants but is finally charged as he cannot prove his innocence and fears that he might actually have done the killings .
Hester , Monk, Scuff and Oliver Rathbone work together to find evidence of Fitzs' innocence and who really carried out these horrific murders .
Throughout the book Monks lack of memories from his past after his accident , Hester memories of the Crimean battlefields affect the way forward .....

This was another excellent murder , mystery by the Author showing another side to 19th century London and its inhabitants .