Michael Magister is back from the dead, while Phoebe Le Breton has never been more alive. Hoping for a quieter future, the two steampunk Music Hall illusionists soon discover that their troubles are far from over. With the Special Branch pursuing them and the Black Bishop unleashing his most ruthless assassins, their fragile plans are about to be torn apart.

When two astronomers are found dead at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Superintendent William Melville once again has no choice but to call upon the magicians. But are the deaths the result of natural causes, or something far more sinister? Only a mild-mannered medium and her spirit guide, Nostradamus, seem to know what the future holds.

As Michael and Phoebe become entangled in another deadly mystery, the boundaries between science, magic and the supernatural begin to blur. With assassins closing in, the clock ticking and the Tarot predicting death, their most terrifying adventure yet may also be their last.

But time itself may be hiding the greatest curiosity of all. Is it moving forwards — or backwards?