In two previous Dodie Fanshaw mysteries, the deaths could have been accidents, but she was sure they were murders and determined to unmask the villains. This death is clearly murder, and the police investigate the many people who had grudges against the new Rector, from his family and his new parishioners. The trouble is, most of them have no alibis, and not all of them tell the truth. Dodie, visiting Sir William and Lady Talbot at the Manor, is able to discover the vital clue.