Nothing is black and white--even in a blizzard--which British sleuth Patrick Dawlish is about to discover when he's snowed in with thieves and murderers. Between the spirit and the letter of the law, Patrick Dawlish is all for the spirit, which is why he has friends in both high and low places. Like Barney Day, for example. The former fence has retired and is making a go at a respectable life by moving to the country and opening a gallery. But no one can leave the past behind that easily . After braving a blizzard to get to Day's housewarming party, Dawlish and his wife, Felicity, find an empty cottage--except for the body of a murdered policeman. Day and his housekeeper are missing. Dawlish knows that such sixteenth-century homes usually come with secret passages.

And his instincts are correct, for in the walls of the house lurk desperate killers. With no escape for any of them, Dawlish must keep Felicity safe while trying to survive one of the most unusual--and deadly--cases of his career.