A Word After Dying

Inspector Alan Markby and his long-time girlfriend Meredith Mitchell have rented a cottage in the country for a much-needed holiday. But no sooner do they finally relax than their suspicious neighbor begins to speculate that the accidental death of Olivia Smeaton, a local old lady with a racy past, may be much more than it seems. Determinedly off duty, Markby grumbles that the woman's tumble down the stairs was probably caused by nothing more than a loose slipper sole. But Meredith's interest is piqued, and when another body is found, even Markby must admit that there is foul play afoot. With the villagers becoming increasingly unfriendly, and with the mysterious violence continuing, Meredith and Markby begin to fear that Olivia's death may be the first of many -- unless the two of them can make sense of scandalous secrets carefully hidden by the inhabitants of the seemingly peaceful Cotswold village.