In the sleepy hamlet of Lumpkins Corners, Professor Peter Shandy's reputation as an amateur sleuth was almost as well known as his success in developing a new strain of rutabaga. So when violent and exceedingly unpleasant death visited Horsefall Farm, the third phone call - after the police and the coroner were called - was to Professor Shandy.
The cause of death was all too clear: quicklime. The verdict: a tragic accident. But that was before a nosy young reporter dug up an ancient Nordic runestone and its curse. Before 102-year-old Sven Svenson took up with an older woman. Before Professor Shandy pieced together a puzzle that pointed to a very clever killer.