Shem's Demise

Every autumn an old reprobate tramp and scrounger mysteriously known as Shem drifts into the village of Long Gaisford. Kenny a young boy likes Shem. It''s not his fault that the well-meant tip he gives Shem should lead to disaster.The local Detective-Superintendent of Police is within weeks of retirement; to him the demise of Shem revealed clearly as ''foul play'' is very bad news especially as Kenny will not talk - and as the story develops Shem''s death unlocks deeper implications.