A murdered librarian. A missing manuscript. An obvious suspect. Gabriel Ward KC returns in the third installment in the cozy British mystery series The Trials of Gabriel Ward.

The librarian's dead body lies in a pool of lamplight on his desk. A priceless medieval document has been stolen from the Inner Temple. And this time the usually reluctant sleuth Gabriel Ward KC couldn't be more eager to investigate--because a second life hangs in the balance.

The authorities have already decided who is guilty: Jitendra Shah, an Indian law student living in the Temple. Did he plan to steal the document as an act of anti-British defiance, and kill the librarian in the process? His lack of alibi and suspicious behavior since the murder are mounting evidence against him.

But Gabriel is convinced of his innocence. And in matters of murder, Gabriel is very seldom wrong. As London prepares for the coronation of Edward VII under the eyes of millions across the Empire, can Gabriel and Constable Wright find the real killer in time to prevent a terrible miscarriage of justice?