Intruders in the night. A black-clad stalker in the woods. A menacing gamekeeper on steroids. In his latest house-sitting assignment, Bartholomew is on edge from the get-go. For our down-at-heel bon viveur protagonist, even cooking his favourite culinary classics and a romp with provocative local lass Roxy fail to quell his increasing sense of unease at the strange events going on at this isolated country house. And it's not as if his boss Kennedy is sympathetic. Bartholomew must instead solve the mystery of why someone is trying to scare the hell out of him for personal gain. As he gradually unravels the truth, a link with a disturbing event in his past finally comes back to confront him. In this first of The Reluctant House-Sitter Mysteries, Agatha Christie meets Master Chef in a witty, who'dunnit feast for the hungry reader.