Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the Inspector Ramsay series featuring a talented, brilliant detective--now in print for the first time in the US.

No one in Heppleburn has a bad word to say about Alice Parry . . . but here she is, murdered in her own backyard on a bitter St. David's Eve.

When detective Stephen Ramsay starts asking questions in the village, a more ambiguous picture begins to emerge. Yes, old Mrs. Parry was loved by everyone, but sometimes her kindness had caused trouble. Yes, her two nephews were devoted to her, but they didn't really want her interfering in their rather complicated personal lives. Even among her neighbors, Alice Parry's helpfulness had sometimes misfired. And after her death, tension tight as a clenched fist grips the uneasy village.

Meanwhile, the suspects keep rolling in, and Heppleburn's friendly neighborhood killer continues his nasty piece of work . . .