A London publisher recounts a lunchtime reunion with a former lover, in poetic monologue.

A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st-century London.

A speculative, fictional "what if" scenario based on the controversial play of the same name in which Prince Charles becomes King Charles III following the Queen's death. His scandal-prone family schemes against him, as his controversial political decisions cause constitutional crisis and lead to chaotic riots and army in the streets. Some of the most shocking moments in the story include power-hungry Kate planning to take Charles down, Harry's relationship with a black Republican girlfriend, Camilla slapping her stepson and the ghost of Charles' late wife Princess Diana appearing to her children to give them counsel.

Children's author Stephen Lewis is shopping with 4-year old daughter Kate when she suddenly disappears. Failure to find her puts a strain on his marriage, his wife Julie leaving to live in a seaside village, though Stephen regularly visits her. Stephen continues to write but is asked by the prime minister to check on his best friend Charles Dark, who has resigned his cabinet membership to live in an isolated woodland retreat with his wife Thelma. Stephen is perturbed by Charles' apparent regression to childhood, reminding him of his own loss and, returning to London, erroneously believes that another little girl is Kate. Three years after the disappearance Thelma asks Stephen, still keeping Kate's room for her, for help with the increasingly disturbed Charles, leading to a shocking discovery though a later phone call from Julie provides a new beginning for them both.