Running late to the Hinkler gala performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Ruddigor
e', she meets some thugs in a dark alley and handles them convincingly before th
ey can ruin her silver dress. Phryne then finds that she has rescued a gorgeous
Chinese, Lin Chung, and his grandmother, and is briefly mistaken for a deity. De
nying divinity but accepting cognac, she later continues safely to the theatre.
But it's an unexpected evening as her night is again interrupted by a most bizar
re death onstage. What links can Phryne possibly find between the ridiculously e
ntertaining plot of 'Ruddigore', the city's Chinese community, and the actors tr
eading the boards of His Majesty's Theatre? Drawn backstage and onstage, Phryne
must solve an old murder and find a new murderer, and, of course, banish the the
atre's ghost, who seems likely to kill again.
