Publisher's Synopsis
As with every other Monday morning, Ophelia Baker had gone down to the wash-house to do the weekly wash. However, she had been stopped in her tracks by the fact that someone had left a large, wooden crate in the middle of the floor. On closer inspection, Ophelia found that the crate contained what appeared to be human remains. She called for the police.Chief Inspector Jake Fraser may now have a new team to manage but it is still the same old crimes to solve. Who is the victim in the crate? How did the victim die and when? How did the crate get to the the wash-house and why would someone leave it there in the first place?As Chief Inspector Fraser sets out to solve the mystery of the human remains in the crate, Inspector Mathieson has a puzzle of his own to solve. Shops are being robbed and the level of violence is rising with every raid, but for no apparent reason. Why should that be and can Mathieson catch the criminal before someone dies?To further complicate Mathieson's investigation, a bank is robbed and there appears to be a connection to the shop robberies, though why they should be connected is not immediately obvious.Can Jake and his team solve these cases against the backdrop of Christmas approaching and Inspector Mathieson having to find time to help his fiancee, Ruby, plan their forthcoming wedding.
