Grant and Kim Roxby had hoped that their first dinner party at Pelling House would make a favourable impression on their new neighbours The next day it's certainly the talk of Fedborough Their guests - including the couple's old friend Jude - had been enjoying a pleasant meal before being interrupted by a gruesome discovery A human torso hidden in the cellar Jude races home to Fethering and her friend Carole with the news, and soon the pair are back questioning the locals But they can't help but wonder why a town so notoriously distrustful of outsiders is proving so terribly amenable to their enquiries