This time, Scotland Yard sends Detective Chief Inspector Dover and his woeful assistant MacGregor off on the Stately Home circuit to look into murder. Since Lord Crouch, master of Beltour, can hardly make ends meet despite the hoards of tourists visiting the manor, his hospitaligy is meagre - though his vegetarian sister, Lady Priscilla, would love to cook for Dover. And the victim couldn't be a drearier sort: "the wettest thing since nappies," according to Dover. In short, the inspector can't wait to be quit of the whole thing, and chief suspects begin to pop up everywhere. "MacGregor sometimes had bad dreams in which Dover solved his case by sticking a pin in the telephone directory and applying for a warrant," and this could be one of those very cases. Unless, of course, MacGregor were to risk his superior's wrath by pursuing his own inquiries.