A murdered stranger in his home wood... The discovery of a naked corpse upsets the new Viscount Petteril's return to his ancestral acres. The local magistrate, Robert Lindon, has no idea how to proceed with so heinous a crime. Neither has Petteril, but curiosity compels him to help - with the aid of his fearless new assistant April, struggling to find her feet in this rich new world, and yet invaluable to more than the investigation...