The murder of Sam Gilmour, owner of the pub, The Starving Rascal, gives new police graduate Bill Knight a chance at real detective work which ties in with his spying on ready-money betting. The theft of 74 valuable gold coins from Gilmour's collection, the dubious activities of the son of Knight's landlady, the peddling of a bar of gold and Knight, bruised and bloody, turns in a win. Cocky.