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“Rotten borough” is a term that goes back to the 18th century, and it used to mean a parliamentary constituency in which a few property owners, or sometimes a single one, could choose the local member of parliament. The three Reform Acts of 1832, 1857 and 1884 brought that system to an end and by the time this book begins, a rotten borough has taken on its more modern meaning of a constituency whos rules allow a handful of people to profit secretly from the borough’s finances. In one such borough a new mayor, victor by a margin of single vote, has been working on a reform program and is found mysteriously murdered in his office -- the Mayor’s Parlour. As it happens, his young nephew is visiting from London, and is determined to find the killer. It’s no easy task, and the final discovery leaves him, as well as many others, surprised.( Nicholas Clifford)