Julia Bird has left London for a fresh start in a picturesque Cotswolds village, and the rustic charm and cosy fireplaces of her little cottage are everything she'd hoped for. But when she tears down the old garden shed to make way for a chicken coop, she unearths much more than she'd bargained for, the body of a young woman, apparently buried for decades, thrusting Julia into a baffling mystery. With only one copper on the case in Berrywick, Julia...

Julia South-Brown is busy. Between trying for a baby, having her adopted daughter move out, renovating her beloved cafe, and training for the annual Peridale marathon, she doesn't have much time for anything, especially solving the recent murder of local farmer, Ted Coleman. Despite Peridale Farm only being just up the lane from Julia's cottage, she doesn't know much about the reclusive Coleman family, which is why she's happy to take a backseat....