Publisher's Synopsis
It's a shock to everyone who knows him when Holmes unexpectedly suggests to Watson that they buy a house in the country together. But if Holmes was thinking that life would be simpler in the Homes Counties, then he wasn't counting on the other occupants of properties on the Church Lane. 'The Gang' - as they call themselves - seem overly involved in each other's lives and fascinated by the prospect of the arrival of Holmes and Watson into their midst shaking their lives. And there are plenty of secrets hidden just beneath the surface of the beautiful country village with its elegant church, riding school and manor house. And when Biffo and Janice Horton - the owners of the Manor House - are hideously murdered, there ends up being plenty of suspects. Could it have been their laddish adopted son who isn't really taking a year off before going to University? The secretive sisters who run the riding school? The quiet lady vicar and her obnoxious accountant husband? Or the camp real estate agent who sold Holmes & Watson the house in the same street in which he lives? Of course it doesn't take Holmes too long to discover plenty of the secrets that riddle the village and its occupants. Being so close to the crime, Holmes finds he has no other alternative but to get involved, especially as the country police officer is a friend of Inspector Pomfrett. But this case is played out in front of the desperate backdrop of his own relationship reaching a breaking point. How will Holmes solve the case and his fractured relationship with Watson at the same time?
