The fictional premise here is the removal of princesses Margaret and Elizabeth from London to a creaky old estate in rural Ireland at the beginning of WWII. MI5 agent Celia Nashe and local detective St. John Strafford are charged with their security, along with a ragtag dozen or so of local military. Old anti-British sentiment abounds in the community, and the secret of the two girls whose names are changed to conceal their identity soon leaks out.

The first in Benjamin Black's (aka John Banville) detective St. John Strafford series is a bit disappointing. It's a smooth, quick read, and the writing is excellent, but the ending turned out much differently than I expected, and is anticlimactic.