A Wesley Peterson crime novel The ancient gardens of Earlsacre Hall in Devon are being excavated by a local team of historians in preparation for plans to recreate the gardens in their former glory. However the dig is called to a halt when two bodies are discovered under a stone plinth. Over three hundred years old and buried on top of one another, there is every indication that one of the corpses had been buried alive. But, despite the intriguing circumstances, DS Wesley Peterson has little time to indulge in his hobby for archaeology for he has a rather more recent murder case to solve. A man has been found brutally stabbed to death in a caravan at a popular holiday site. Only there are no clues to his identity but for a newspaper cutting about the restoration of Earlsacre. Does local solicitor Brian Willerby have the answer? He seems eager to talk to Wesley but before he can reveal his secret he is found dead during a 'friendly' game of village cricket. The post-mortem reveals that his death was caused by being struck by a cricket ball several times with some force. If Wesley is looking for a demon bowler this appears to let out most of the village side. But what is it about Earlsacre Hall that leads people to murder?