Crown of Thorns Hill, clad in April mist, towers over the quiet village of East Thorne.

But on Good Friday, when the mist clears, the villagers wake to a malign vision at the hill's peak - a sight which catapults a flu-ridden Inspector Zig Batten from his holiday bed to a scene of desecration.

Who is the victim? And what vengeful mind would dispose of a body here, like this?

In his search for reasons, Batten finds himself at odds with warring churchmen, lost lovers, ranting conservationists and shady developers. Even Batten and his colleagues struggle with their own mixed motives.

Do the threatened dwellings and apple-orchard of Turks Lane hold the answer? Or is it buried in the victim's past?

As the Easter weekend unfolds, Batten fears the worst is still to come...