“Listen to me, Trelawny. I mean it. I think it’s quite possible a crime will be committed in Netherminster before long.”

Philip Tolefree and his friend Inspector Pierce are just coming to the end of a delightful fishing holiday in Pierce's native village of Netherminster. As their vacation draws to a close, Trelawny, Netherminster's Chief Constable, invites the pair to a dinner with the Hawkers at Ashcott House. Whilst there they are surprised to hear Hawker predict that a murder will be committed in Netherminster before too long and that Mr. Pitt, the mysterious owner of The Coppice, will be at the epicentre of the affair. When the telephone brings news that seem suspiciously to confirm Hawker's prophecy, Tolefree and Pierce find that their visit to Netherminster has become a busman's holiday.