This is the fifteenth book in the Pitkirtly Mystery series, set in a small town in Scotland that isn't really Culross on the coast of Fife, although it does share some of the same features.

Little does Jock McLean realise that an encounter with a pack of dogs and their dog-walker on the beach is only the start of a sequence of events that will lead him to the dark side of Pitkirtly Island and beyond. His friends Christopher, Amaryllis, Dave and Jemima will also become involved before long in a case of murder, fraud, a dog home and an irresponsible vet.