Some in Midriven Village claim schoolgirl Lisa Martin ran off with a boy, but most know she strayed too close to Robbers Wood, perhaps even went in, the silly thing, and got took by the Beast. But the world has no room for monsters, except human ones, so DCI Arthur Ravyn and DS Leo Stark come to investigate. A fool's quest, the old folk know. The Elder Gods never give back what they take. The detectives themselves might perish. After all, this is Hammershire County, where change comes slowly, if at all, where the past frequently intrudes upon the present, and where old things often refuse to die. Very old things.