Tanned and relaxed after a holiday in Spain, Detective Joanna Piercy is brought back to reality with a bump thanks to Staffordshire's appalling weather - and another dead body.
It's local Leek resident Kathleen Weston who makes the gruesome discovery. The smell is so bad she can't hang her washing out.
Propped up against the boundary at the bottom of her garden sits Jakob Grimshaw. His head has been crushed with one of the loose stones from the wall.
It's obvious this was no accident. Landowner Jakob Grimshaw made enemies of everyone around him.
But someone really wanted revenge to kill Grimshaw like this.
Detective Joanna Piercy must delve into a dark web of vicious family feuds and warring neighbours to uncover a brutal murderer before they strike again.