This is the 10th novel in the Utterly Crime Series, rural Suffolk, 2014, England. It features old friends Chrissie, Nick and Matt, and can be read as a standalone.
A body is found in the Poachers Basket - Wattisham's disused village pub. But what seems like simple misadventure becomes a murder inquiry and DI Clive Merry's investigation soon turns into a nightmare.
Can Nick's preoccupation with an old musical box shed any light on the history of the pub? The past may hold clues, but the present-day investigation stokes increasing danger.
Pauline Manders' signature quirky plot plays out with village thatching and cowboy boots under the long shadow of Wattisham's wartime airmen. Bodies mount up and tensions erupt with dire consequences. The action moves between Wattisham and Woolpit, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, Needham Market and Shottisham Creek.