Elizabeth George is an American writer, the most gifted successor to the traditions of English classic detective fiction—a real “Agatha Christie of the 21st century.” Her books have constant characters: an elegant inspector Thomas Lynley, who is also the eighth Earl of Asherton, and his assistant, Sergeant Barbara Havers. Interestingly, Elizabeth George’s fans have organized a worldwide “fan club” for the writer.
Inspector Lynley brings to his family estate a young woman he intends to marry. But a brutal murder of a local journalist becomes the beginning of a whole chain of events that disrupt the peace of a quiet, picturesque village. After the second murder, Lynley realizes he can no longer remain a detached observer: the evidence leads into his own family.