Sherman Holmes has reached a crossroads in his life, having inherited a large fortune from a hitherto unknown relative.

John Garden also has a decision to make that will have a far-reaching effect on his future.

The two happen to book into the same hotel, The Black Swan, on the same weekend,to mull over the changes to their lives that both of them are thinking of making.

Meeting purely by chance, foundations for a friendship are laid based on their mutual love of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. When a murder occurs in the hotel, though, it isn't long before their bond strengthens, as they decide to form an alliance and unmask the murderer. They soon find that Death is following them like a faithful dog and, as the case gets more tangled, they make the decision to cement their alliance formally and set up as private investigators.

This first book in the series is a romp through a small English town, featuring a pompous would-be Holmes of Baker Street and his own, cross-dressing, 'Watson'. Mercurially tempered Colin, Holmes' cat, also makes his first appearance ...