The Chalon heads

the long version

"David Brock and Kathy Kolla are summoned to Cabot's, a venerable dealer in rare stamps on the Strand. At first, they expect a simple case of theft and a pleasant digression from the usual sort of murderous wrongding they encounter in the Serious Crime Branch of Scotland Yard. But the case they confront is twistier and far more unsettling than they could have imagined. An unsavory figure from Brock's past, slippery East-ender Sammy Starling, a.k.a. Sammy China, is in deep trouble and asking for Brock's help. It seems Sammy's young wife has been kidnapped; but the strange part is that the ransom notes are decorated with rare and valuable Chalon Head stamps of the young Queen Victoria - to whom Sammy's wife bears an uncanny resemblance. Sammy is convinced a corrupt cop he once helped put in jail is behind the kidnapping. But Sammy has made a living from fraud and deceit: why should Brock and Kolla trust anything he says?"--Page 4 of cover.