When Scotland Yard detectives David Brock and Kathy Kolla are
summoned to Cabot's, a venerable dealer of rare stamps, they expect
a simple case of theft and a pleasant digression from the usual
sort of wrongdoing encountered in the Serious Crime Branch.
Instead, they find themselves on the trail of an extortionist when
they learn that the wife of Sammy China, an unsavory figure from
Brock's past, has been kidnapped. The only clue is a ransom note
decorated with rare and valuable Chalon Head stamps of the young
Queen Victoria, to whom Sammy's wife bears an uncanny
resemblance.
"The third and finest case so far for this underrated pair of coppers, and the most satisfyingly twisty mystery of the year." (Kirkus Reviews, starred)
