Peter Pascoe is in shock. A weekend in the country with old friends turns into a nightmare when he finds three of them dead and the missing fourth a prime suspect in the eyes of the local police. The police want Pascoe's co-operation. Superintendent Andy Dalziel wants him back in Yorkshire where a string of unsolved burglaries looks like turning nasty. Is it all getting too much for Pascoe?

Reginald Hill, who lives in Cumbria, is the author of over thirty novels, including the popular Dalziel and Pascoe series, which was televised on BBC TV. He has won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for best crime novel of the year and received the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement.

Brian Glover's first major role was that of Sugden, the games master, in the celebrated film Kes. Later credits included Leon the Pig Farmer, Up n' Under and Stiff Upper Lips. On stage he appeared in Saint Joan, The Mysteries and The Canterbury Tales, while television roles included Lugg the manservant in Campion and Selwyn Price in Anna Lee. He died in 1997.