Daisy Dalrymple, a young woman from a British moneyed class, has chosen to rebel by writing magazine articles for a living. In this book, set in 1923, she is invited by an old school friend to visit the family's stately manor, Occles Hall, in order to write an article about the old estate. Unfortunately, the friend's mother, Lady Valeria, is not at all pleased to have Daisy visit. Daisy sees immediately that Lady Valeria doesn't get along with anyone; she's the type who even harangues the local pastor about his sermons. When Daisy visits the estate's winter garden with camera in hand, the gardener's helper is distraught to notice a bush is dying in the garden, petrified about what Lady Valeria's reaction will be. When the bush is dug up, a body is discovered under it. The body is that of a perky young parlormaid who left suddenly two months ago.
Daisy is upset when the gardener's helper is charged with the murder, and asks her friend Alec Fletcher, who happens to investigate for Scotland Yard, to get involved. Lady Valeria, true to form, is more distressed about the police presence at the estate than about the death itself. Most of the family members come under scrutiny. This was a quick, enjoyable read, in part due to the colorful dialogue and British-isms, right-oh!
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