Publisher's Synopsis
With touches reminiscent of Oscar Wilde this is a classic novel with a contemporary twist. 1945. The war is over, veteran Sydney Otterton is penniless and all that is left is Cranfield, the dilapidated family pile. His terrifying mother has taken everything else and don't think for a minute she will stop at that...Sydney moves in with his wife, three children and the faithful, observant housekeeper, Annie. Mr Johnson, an ex-army sergeant, joins them at the house, as does a series of unorthodox governesses, and a rather dubious butler. Once Mr Rakowski, an eccentric historian delving into the family archives, unearths some dark secrets and a body is found in the lake, the stage is set for a classic comic melodrama: a brilliant post-war period piece with all the conventions of a murder mystery.
