When small-time gambler and petty crook Steinie Taylor turns up dead in
a hopper of flour at a country bakery, Gently has to figure out not only
how he got there, but also why his prime suspects all appear to have
dark secrets to hide.
Why had the deceased villain and two of his friends been spending money
like it was going out of fashion? Where had they acquired the cash? Why
had they strayed from their usual haunts? Why did Taylor's friends both
disappear? In the kind of town where everyone usually knows everything
about their neighbours, there are a few surprises in store for the
locals and the investigation becomes ever more sinister when one of
Taylor's cronies is also found dead. The race is on to find the third
man before the killer can claim him as another victim.