Genre
Historical Mystery / Locked-Room Thriller
Synopsis
London, 1855. A railway magnate is found dead inside a bolted first-class carriage – no entry, no exit, no weapon. Inside his chest, replacing his heart: a miniature brass steam engine, still ticking. Dr. Aris Thorne, a disgraced surgeon and secret resurrectionist (body snatcher), is summoned by Constable Eliza Gray, one of London’s first female detectives. Together they uncover a secret society called The Order of the Second Breath, whose members believe death can be reversed by clockwork and electricity. But the killer is not trying to save lives – he is perfecting a device that can stop hearts from a distance. As more victims fall, each killed inside impossible rooms, Thorne and Gray race to stop a public “resurrection” that will kill hundreds. The only way to break the killer’s logic: an act of unpredictable mercy.
3. The Order of the Second Breath