The troubled past of the Black Dog’s manager returns to haunt him in the intriguing new Cotswold village mystery featuring pub owner Alex Duggins.

Although he has always kept his past carefully hidden, as the ever-reliable manager of her well-stocked pub, The Black Dog, Hugh Rhys has Alex Duggins’ total trust. However the unexpected arrival of two women from his past raises the fury of the usually even-tempered Hugh, threatens his carefully-crafted reputation and sends shockwaves through the village.

When a battered body is discovered in a deep pond near Hugh’s estate, Alex and her partner Tony are once again pulled into a chilling murder investigation. With Hugh’s odd behaviour ensuring that he becomes the police’s chief suspect, Alex determines to prove his innocence. But she’s about to find herself walking a dangerous line, looking for a killer she may wish she had never found …