BEDLAM CADAVER

1680. London cooks in summer heat. Protestors light bonfires and riot, angry that James, the Duke of York - who is openly Catholic - will succeed his brother as King. When violent men kidnap and murder a rich merchant''s daughter - even though her ransom was paid - King Charles II orders Harry Hunt of the Royal Society to help investigate. Harry has proved his worth before. A second woman goes missing: Elizabeth Thynne, England''s richest heiress. Her husband receives a ransom letter from the same kidnappers. He is a close friend of the King''s son, the Duke of Monmouth. Monmouth is Protestant and popular, preferred by most to succeed his father despite his illegitimacy. Under pressure from powerful men to find the killers and rescue Elizabeth, Harry uncovers a disturbing link to Bethlehem Hospital, better known as ''Bedlam.'' But he is falsely accused of the crimes. Desperate to prove his innocence - and to find the real culprits - his search takes him from Rotherhithe to Whitehall Palace, and to the house of the famous portrait painter, Sir Peter Lely, in Covent Garden. And back to Bedlam again. By its end, Harry holds the Monarchy''s future in his hands.