The streets of East London are alive with different languages, cultures and religions. Private investigators Lee Arnold and Mumtaz Hakim are well-versed in the community's tensions, the sad day-to-day reality that includes the desecration of graves at Plashet Jewish cemetery in East Ham.



The vandalism of these final resting places leads to a disturbing discovery: one of the damaged coffins does not contain human remains but instead a sculpture of a man made of clay. This so-called 'golem', a term from Jewish myth given to a figure brought to life by supernatural means, proves intriguing to Arnold and Hakim, even more so when it is stolen from a police storage facility in an armed raid.



The case leads the pair deep into London's past and its connections to wartime Prague, and onto the trail of a priceless jewel worth killing for.



Barbara Nadel was born and brought up in the East End of London and now lives in Essex. Prior to becoming a full-time author, she worked in psychiatric institutions and in the community with people experiencing mental health problems. Nadel is also the author of the award-winning Inspector Ikmen series now adapted by the BBC as The Turkish Detective.