For the first time Jemima Flowerday has been invited to a big country house not as a dressmaker, but as a sleuth. She's going to Firebrace to mingle with the guests at a murder mystery weekend, to plant red herrings and put them off the scent of the 'murderer'.

Nature conspires to heighten the atmosphere, throwing a violent storm as the guests arrive. A river breaks its banks, washing away the only bridge giving access to the world beyond Firebrace.

Who cares? There's plenty of drink and food, roaring fires and a determination to enjoy the thrill of being safely frightened out of one's mind, knowing it's all a game. Let murder commence.

And then it does, But it's no longer fictional...