On Christmas Eve 1931, Maisie witnesses a disabled veteran kill himself in a London street. The following day a letter threatening mass casualties reaches the Prime Minister’s office and identifies Maisie by name, bringing her into a Special Branch investigation of a man who possesses both military knowledge and a deep grievance against the state.
Further attacks demonstrate that the threat is technically credible and rooted in the treatment of damaged veterans and their families. Maisie must understand the bomber’s psychological history without excusing the danger he presents, while government officials prefer methods that may silence the suspect before the failures that produced his anger become public.