On 15th March 1878 Kord Littleby, an English eccentric and collector, is found murdered in his Paris house together with nine members of his staff. A gold whale is found in the victims hand - a badge owned only by first class ticket-holders on the maiden voyage of the Leviathan , the worlds largest steamship. Commissioner Gauche of the French police is called to solve the On 15th March 1878 Kord Littleby, an English eccentric and collector, is found murdered in his Paris house together with nine members of his staff. A gold whale is found in the victims hand - a badge owned only by first class ticket-holders on the maiden voyage of the Leviathan , the worlds largest steamship. Commissioner Gauche of the French police is called to solve the Crime of the Century and narrows the suspects down to ten, who are forced to eat every meal together in the ships Windsor Suite. Amongst these ten is the elegant young Erast Fandorin. Can he discover the murderers identity before Gauche?