A mysterious telephone call. A cast iron alibi. A family secret. A brutal murder. Could a meek insurance salesman really be a heinous killer?

As the extraordinary events of the previous year start to fade in the memory, so do the prospects for Kitty and Markham’s fledging private investigation business. Reduced once again to finding lost pets, it feels as if any hope they had to be taken seriously is as dead as the leaves on the trees.

That is until a mild-mannered insurance salesman turns up on the doorstep of Laburnum Villas reaching out to them for help, blissfully unaware that he is soon to be charged with the brutal murder of his disabled brother. The facts are stark, and the police seem convinced of his guilt. But puzzling questions remain. Why would the killer leave a raincoat under the body? Who is the mysterious Holt-Roberts? And, crucially, how could one man be in two places at the same time?

With the help of the accused’s solicitor, Kitty and Nora must navigate a path through deceit, secrets and duplicity if they want to uncover the shocking truth behind the shocking crime.