"A treat....Lovesey's restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winners' circle."— Entertainment Weekly Van driver Bob Naylor, a jingle writer, joins the Chichester Writer’s Circle fearing that he will be shunned by literary snobs. Instead, he finds himself plunged into the midst of a circle of murder victims and murder suspects—including himself. The other members, enthusiastic but not necessarily talented, come from all walks of life and write all sorts of things: fantasy, household hints, even torrid romances, but there seems to be no common thread to tie the arson victims together. Inspector Henrietta Mallin, Peter Diamond’s partner from The House Sitter , is the investigator in charge of the case and with Bob’s help—and despite other would-be sleuths’ hindrance—she discovers the motive for the serial murders and the identifies the killer.