The death of wealthy Elizabeth Doyle, a pillar of the local community, shakes the village of West Deering. Who could hold a fatal grudge against such a woman - and act upon it in such quiet, sleepy surroundings? She went missing, along with her car, whilst distributing food for the Meals on Wheels service. The prime suspects are two London youths, in a clear-cut case of an outsider attack. However, it appears that the evidence is misleading. The killer is much closer to home - someone from the centre of this quiet community.
When the Romney Marsh people come to stay with the Punchbowl Farm people it makes quite a crowd at the farm. But it means also a great deal of fun for everyone. The Thornton parents have gone to France for a holiday so Andrea is virtually in charge, but Meryon and Dion and Tamzin and Lindsey are excellent at coping in crises. And the main crisis arises when Roger discovers that a wild deer has somehow found its way into the Punchbowl herd. They know they must catch her but it is not easy to capture a wild and very fast moving animal. Help there is in plenty, some of it unwanted, especially from those who offer to shoot the deer for them.
The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or – more accurately – has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain’s best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth.
