Peter Derwent, living in the ancestral home of Broadfields with wife Lorna and three children (plus Aunt Nina), is found shot to death--after which it becomes clear to family lawyer Tim Railton that Peter was being blackmailed into poverty. In fact, in desperation, Peter had secretly sold Broadfields to the family's American branch. But: is Peter's murder connected to that of neighbor Trevor Grayson, which soon follows? That's the question for newly promoted Detective-Superintendent George Thorne--who must also sort out recent Derwent family-history concerning the death, in Africa, of older brother Michael, a mercenary soldier. What was the relationship between Peter and Grayson. . . and how much are other family members involved in the killings? The solution (arrived at on no very compelling evidence) is neat, pat, predictable, but not very convincing; and this is competent yet unsatisfying British-puzzle fare, less original than Penn's previous outings.