Part of Dalziel & Pascoe, book 4
First published 1987
Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel expects a quiet getaway while his partner Pascoe enjoys married life. Instead, his vacation deposits him at an isolated country estate where nothing follows normal patterns. The manor houses an eccentric collection of residents who seem to harbor secrets behind their peculiar behaviors. When murder disrupts the already strange atmosphere, Dalziel finds himself surrounded by potential killers rather than peaceful countryside. Each suspect presents a puzzle, their motives tangled in the house's odd social dynamics. Without Pascoe's analytical mind to rely on, Dalziel must navigate both the investigation and the manor's bizarre inhabitants alone. The case tests his instincts as he sorts through lies, alibis, and the twisted relationships binding this unusual household together.
Genres: 20th-century, suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, isolated-setting, odd-social-dynamics
Setting: Country Estate
Period: 20th Century
254 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Signet