Francis Mawson Rattenbury soared to prominence in British Columbia in 1893 with the winning design for the province's new Parliament Buildings. He was only 25 at the time with little practical experience behind him, but in the years to come he became the most sought after architect in the province. He designed almost every important building of his time in BC. The Empress Hotel, Government House, courthouses in Vancouver, Nanaimo and Nelson, the Prince Rupert Inn, and Victoria's Crystal Garden all bear the unique stamp of Rattenbury. In 1930 Rattenbury left British Columbia to settle in England where he lived in complete obscurity. For a man who had spent his entire career courting the press, thriving on publicity and notoriety, this was a most uncharacteristic move. In 1935, in another bizarre turn of events, Rattenbury was murdered by his second wife's lover-the chauffeur. The sensational story of BC's most important architect, his triumphs, his battles, his scandalous life and grisly murder by his wife's lover and the subsequent trial are all carefully documented in this award-winning biography.