Nigel Playford knew it was a mistake to bring sister Cynthia with him to Wales for the Easter Fiesta of the Mystic Circle. She was still in a foul mood from breaking up with her latest married lover. And Nigel wasn't at all looking forward to seeing Frank and Kath Sexton at the magicians' gathering not after the ugly scene Kath had made last year when she found out about Cynthia and Frank.

On the first night at the hotel, Nigel's worst fears were confirmed: Cynthia was impossible, spoiling for a fight. But what happened the next day was even worse than he'd feared: Cynthia had, for unknown reasons, decided on a ride up the mountain in a cabin lift and she'd gotten off, or been helped off, a little early Chief Detective Walsh and insurance investigator David Sayer had no problems coming up with people who'd want to kill Cynthia, but they didn't know who gave her the final push. Until Sayer ran into his old friend Edwina Charles (a.k.a. Madame Herrmann), the well-known clairvoyante who had an uncanny knack for digging up secrets...