Jessica Dobell is found murdered on the chancel steps in the village church. The body is only partly dressed. Wycliffe wonders whether it is some sort of ritual killing but as he digs deeper into the victim's private life it becomes clear that there are any number of people with a possible motive for wanting Jessica out of the way. There's her sister who would inherit the farm where Jessica lives for a start. The family who live with her and help around the farm are also suspects and it seems the vicar himself may have something to hide.
Wycliffe works in is habitual way - trying to get to know the people concerned and waiting for information to come to him. He watches and waits to see if people will reveal more than they think. He finds anonymous letters among Jessica's papers and the vicar's spinster sister, Celia, seems to know more about them than she should do.
This is an interesting story with some complex characters and some very odd relationships. Jessica herself seemed a mixture of contradictions at first but as the story unfolds she is painted in more graphic colours. There are plenty of red herrings littered throughout the story and it will take a perceptive reader to unravel them all and come up with the correct answer.
This is an enjoyable series if you like your crime novels in the classic mould. If you enjoy Alan Hunter's Gently series then you may well enjoy Wycliffe.
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