DIANA GABALDON'S five previous bestsellers have introduced millions of readers to an immense and absorbing world of history and adventure, of vibrant settings and vivid characters. Now one of these characters, Major Lord John Grey, opens the door to his own part of this world - London in

1757, that seething city peopled by nobility and rabble, soldiers and spies, whores and dukes, where merchant-princes ride the tides of war with the wealth and power of the great East India Company. Great Britain battles France for supremacy on three continents - and life is good for a soldier.

Lord John and cho Private Matter

The year is 1757. On a bright June day, Lord John Grey emerges from his club, his mind in turmoil. A nobleman and a high-ranking officer in His beys Army, Grey has just witnessed something shocking. But his efforts Candal that might destroy his family are interrupted by something rgent: the Crown appoints him to investigate the brutal murder of a comrade-in-arms, who might well have been a traitor.

Obliged to pursue two inquiries at once, Major Grey finds himself ensnared in a web of treachery and betrayal that touches every level of society - and threatens all he holds dear. From the bawdy-houses of London's night world to the drawing rooms of the nobility, from the blood of a murdered corpse to the thundering seas of the East India Company, Lord John follows the elusive trail of the woman in green who may hold the key to everything - or to nothing at all.

The early days of the Seven Years War come brilliantly to life in this historical adventure mystery by the acclaimed author whose unique and compelling storytelling has engrossed millions of readers worldwide.

'Gabaldon is a born storyteller.' Los Angeles Daily News