Special Agent Pendergast and his ward Constance Greene investigate a theft of a wine cellar in an ancient village on the coast north of Salem, only to discover during their investigation the entombed remains of a tortured man.

"For 12 years, he believed she'd died in an accident. Then, he was told she'd been murdered. Now, FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast discovers that his beloved wife, Helen, is alive. But their reunion is cut short when Helen is brazenly abducted before his eyes. And Pendergast is forced to embark on a furious cross-country chase to rescue her. But all this turns out to be mere prologue to a far larger plot: one that unleashes a chillingly--almost...

Special Agent Pendergast arrives at an exclusive Colorado ski resort to rescue his protégée, Corrie Swanson, from serious trouble with the law when he uncovers a mysterious connection between long-dead miners and a fabled, long-lost Sherlock Holmes story--one that might just offer the key to an outbreak of modern day killings involving a deadly arsonist.

While on a grand tour Pendergast and Constance learn that a rare and dangerous artifact the monks have been guarding for generations has been mysteriously stolen. Pendergast takes up the search which leads them to the maiden voyage of the Queen Victoria.

"A bonding trip for Pendergast and his brother-in-law, Judson Esterhazy, turns violent. Before abandoning a mortally-wounded Pendergast, Esterhazy announces his sister, Pendergast's long-dead wife Helen, is alive"--Provided by publisher.