Detective Inspector Montague Pluke is an extremely superstitious man.

So when he notices the solitary crow upon the roof of No. 15 Padgett Grove — the home of Cyril and May Crowther — he knows it is an omen of death.

As the officer in charge of the CID at Crickledale Sub-Divisional Police Station, Pluke has never solved a murder or arrested a killer.

While he appreciates that the natural peace of Crickledale has contributed to this, it is Pluke’s ambition, before he retires, to solve a noteworthy murder.

So when the naked body of a young woman is found at the local Druids’ Circle, it seems that fate is on Montague’s side.

Stephen Winton, a photographer from nearby Fossford, is photographing the Circle for a tourist magazine when he makes the grisly discovery.

Listed as one of the Nine Sites of Crickledale, the Druids’ Circle is rumoured to be the site of orgies, witchcraft and other bizarre goings-on after dark.

Could the dead girl have been the victim of a black magic mass ritual or sacrificial killing?

With no visible wounds or signs of a struggle, Montague believes that the young woman met her untimely end elsewhere and was then placed in the Circle.

But why was she naked?

Unable to ignore the ill-omened message of the lone crow, Pluke decides to focus on the Crowther’s home at No. 15 Padgett Grove.

When two more people die in suspicious circumstances, Montague Pluke is at last able to put his police training, together with his great knowledge of superstition, to good use ...

Praise for Nicholas Rhea:

‘Splendid reading.’ – Police Journal.

‘It’s original, it’s funny – discovering Pluke has been one of life’s little pleasures.’ – Yorkshire Post.

For the last 30 years, Nicholas Rhea has been writing books, drawing on his experiences in the police force, his never-ending enthusiasm for Yorkshire and his continuing interest in crime fact and fiction. His best known work, the Constable stories, provided the inspiration for the hugely popular Heartbeat TV series, and he remained involved with the series as a consultant until filming ended in 2009.

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