From the moment his car stops outside her door, Lois Meade, cleaner and part-time sleuth, doesn’t like the look of Reg Abthorpe. He asks her to clean the house of Herbert Everitt, who has been moved to an old folks’ home, though no one in the closely-knit village of Long Farnden thinks Mr Everitt is frail or infirm.
William Cox is another matter. His health has been in decline since the death of his wife, and he is notoriously reclusive and dependent on his dog, Rosie. Is his bad temper just natural grumpiness, or is he a frightened old man?
Grim warnings appear on gateposts, villagers are being intimidated, and even some of Lois’s faithful staff are too frightened to come forward with their doubts and fears.
As the atmosphere darkens, Lois is called upon by her old ally, Chief Inspector Hunter Cowgill…