"No sooner than a thirteen-year-old child begs Lawrence Kingston to reinvestigate her mother's disappearance -- a case still unsolved for eight years -- the redoubtable botanist, professor, and sleuth receives news that an English rose, extinct for half a century, has been discovered growing on Alcatraz island, 5,000 miles from its former home. As Kingston searches for clues to both mysteries he uncovers the murder of an elderly reclusive gentleman...