Murder and mayhem abound at an Edwardian house party. Physically and spiritually wounded during the Boer War, an embittered Captain Harry Cartwright returns to England with neither a purpose nor any financial wherewithal. The impoverished younger son of a baron, he possesses the proper pedigree but no pocketbook. Through a series of coincidences, Harry becomes known as the sort of man who will "fix things"--if the price is right--for upper-crust clients embroiled in delicate situations. Engaged by the syphilitic marquis of Hedley to investigate a murder in his manor during a weekend of veiled sexual high jinks, he clashes with Lady Rose Summer, the disgraced suffragette daughter of a wealthy earl. The sparks fly as haughty Harry and headstrong Rose reluctantly join forces, creating a charming detective duo driven by both mutual intelligence and attraction.

M. C. Beaton writing as Marion Chesney.