Vic Crowther's housekeeper found the body. Ricky bled out after crashing through the French windows of the manor's library. Crowther doesn't know who did this to Ricky, but he does know whom to blame. Duffy, the security consultant who installed the dodgy burglar alarm, will have to answer for this murder. When Duffy rushes out to the country to smooth things over, he finds more than one surprise. First of all, Ricky was a dog. And Braunscombe Hall is filled to capacity with strange folks--even by Duffy's rarefied standards. His country sojourn is extended--as are his headaches--when he finds that each of the eccentric guests has a problem that needs his expertise.