Dedicated to those who, in the words of Louis MacNeice, "were born and grew up in a fix", Ace, King, Knave is a vibrant portrayal of an 18th-century London every bit as sordid and debauched as that of a Hogarth engraving. Sophia Zedland is a recently married country heiress; Betsy-Ann Shiner is a prostitute turned card sharp and gin dealer. Both of their futures are tied to a single man, the enigmatic Corinthian, and they must form an unlikely alliance if they are to escape the restrictions of their sex. McCann weaves together elegant London and lower-class Romeville, "with its fierce, dirty, exuberant people", to create an entertaining tale of grave robbers and gamblers, hucksters and whores. Life – and love – is nothing but the biggest card game of all, with man and woman "seated at the table, playing to the end".
