Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series following remarkable mysteries in a birdwatching community—now in print for the first time in the US.
Landlord and politician Marcus Grenville wants to convert Ursula Ottway’s beautiful cottage into a holiday residence. So when Ursula discovers that the illegal use of poisoned bait on Grenville’s land has killed not only a rare bird of prey but her two beloved cats, she storms to his house and threatens revenge.
The next morning, Molly Palmer-Jones arrives at her Aunt Ursula’s house only to find her body slumped lifeless on the sofa. Shocked and saddened, Molly and her husband George decide to piece together a picture of Ursula’s last days. And it soon becomes clear that, for many people on the estate, hers was a very convenient death.
The Palmer-Joneses embark on a murder investigation but even their professional expertise doesn’t prepare them for what is to follow. A lifetime’s worth of secrets must surface before a killer can finally be brought to justice . . .