When a pensioner turns up at the Dales Detective Agency and tells Samson O Brien that someone in her old people s home is trying to kill her, he dismisses her fears as the ramblings of a confused elderly lady. But after several disturbing incidents at Fellside Court, he begins to wonder if perhaps there is something malicious at the heart of the retirement community after all.With Christmas around the corner, Samson is thrown into an investigation that will require all of his detective skills. And the help of the tempestuous Delilah Metcalfe in order to infiltrate the local community which Samson turned his back on so long ago. Against the background of a Yorkshire winter, Samson and Delilah must work together to uncover the malevolence which is threatening the lives of Bruncliffe s senior citizens, a malevolence that will come perilously close to home.