When a reform-minded mayor is found murdered in his private parlour at the ancient Moot Hall a web of corruption and intrigue begins to unravel in the sleepy market town of Hathelsborough. The victim had promised to expose the town's entrenched graft and abolish the cozy arrangements that benefited the local elite-making him no shortage of enemies among those with secrets to protect.
His young cousin a London journalist arrives to find himself thrust into a labyrinthine investigation where civic officials mysterious strangers and long-buried scandals all point toward a shocking conclusion. As the inquests drag on and new evidence emerges the case takes unexpected turns through a landscape of ancient privileges personal vendettas and romantic entanglements.
The truth when it finally comes to light proves more surprising than anyone could have anticipated.