In order to come to terms with the death of her close friend, Andrew, Kate Ivory has escaped Oxford and found sanctuary in a friends cottage a few miles away. Here, in the peace of the countryside, she hopes to find a healing tranquility and the inspiration for her next novel. But it soon becomes evident that her new home is not all she hoped it would be. She barely had time to unpack before her gardener, Donna, is found dead in mysterious circumstances and Kate is reluctantly drawn into an investigation. Unconvinced by the official police verdict, she starts to uncover the feuds and illegal goings-on behind the genteel village facades. Why do the Hope-Stanhopes refuse to speak to the Fullers? And what secret is the Reverend Widdows hiding? There is plenty of gossip, and everyone has a theory about what happened to Donna's, but Kate must relinquish her exile and return to Oxford before she can discover the truth.