In and around a very English village, murder follows murder, and corpse is piled upon corpse. Fen is once again the man who finally sorts out the very intricate puzzle; but for much of the book he is an accessory after the fact, and in a peculiarly gruesome manner.

The Rector, the Major, and even old Gobbo, take a hand at playing detective, much to the confusion of Detective-Superintendent Ling. And the lively yarn culminates in a chase to end all chases -- involving the local hunt, hunt saboteurs, a herd of rampaging cows, a motorcycle scramble, a runaway burglar, a team of bloody-minded engineers, the Major on horseback, and the police, variously motivated.

As for the solution, we defy anyone to reach it ahead of Fen.