'. . . Baker's fans will delight in this slight, bawdy and funny confection.' —Publishers Weekly

In nineteenth-century England, the women of Nell Gwynne's brothel—intellectual, elegant, refined, and ready to cater to every whim—work at an establishment that serves rich, powerful men. So close to the highest halls of power, they are also perfectly-placed spies for the Gentlemen's Speculative Society.

But catering to the rich and powerful is hard work, so every year, the courtesans, led by their Proprietress, Mrs. Corvey, take a holiday to the seaside, for a respectable stint of rest, relaxation, reading, and sea bathing. But this year, the boarding house also boasts a suspicious American as a guest, and instead of a vacation, Mrs. Covey and the ladies are assailed by thugs, dead butlers, their cook's unexpected departure, and sea monsters. With the GSS operatives all otherwise engaged, it is up to the ladies of Nell Gwynne's to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings-on and save the day.