It wasn't the rain that upset Carole Seddon during her walk on the West Sussex Downs, nor was it the dilapidated barn in which she sought shelter. What upset her was the human skeleton she discovered there, neatly packed into two blue fertilizer bags.

Thus begins the mystery for strait-laced Carole and her more laid-back neighbor Jude, whose investigation takes them to the small hamlet of Weldisham. There gossips quickly identify the corpse

Carole Seddon and her bohemian neighbor Jude find that even the cultured can be crass when it comes to murder.

The life of Esmond Chadleigh, noted poet and children's author, is celebrated in the halls of Bracketts House. Nevertheless, most of Chadleigh's work remains out of print, which leaves Bracketts House out of funds. An American literature professor with a big interest in Chadleigh can keep Bracketts running, in exchange for assistance

A dinner party at an English mansion with some stuffy, not-very-close friends is not exactly Jude's cup of tea—but the practically mummified torso of a woman found in the cellar is right up her alley. There is no way of knowing how long the dead body has been there, or even who it once was. Intrigued by this new mystery, Jude elicits the help of her reluctant neighbor, Carole, to help solve the case. And perhaps in the process she can snap