A long forgotten book conceals a dangerous secret.James Faraday is about to turn eighty and his daughter has organised a gathering of friends and family at Woodford Grange to celebrate the big day. There will be a marquee in the garden plenty of food and drink and a huge stack of birthday presents. One particular gift however is proving difficult to track down.For Simon Turing who works in the local bookshop it is just another order; an out of print book of wartime statistics. It only takes a day or two for him to locate a copy.As soon as the book arrives however things start to go awry. The shop is burgled. Simon is knocked off his bike on his way to the Grange. And a worker at the estate suffers a fatal accident. Is it just a run of bad luck or are more sinister forces at work?Simon is about to find out.