As Christmas approaches, actress and amateur sleuth Gwinny Tuffel is pondering what gift to buy retired DCI Birch and whether to adopt a new furry friend. Gwinny’s festive dilemmas take a more mysterious turn though when a discovery in her late father’s papers unearths his mysterious past and leads to a Somerset commune of retired spies.

When Gwinny and Birch are unexpectedly snowed in at the remote farmhouse, they find that skeletons in her father’s closet have been joined by a body in the attic. Trapped among those skilled in deception and a lively Cocker Spaniel, tensions mount. And it remains to be seen if Gwinny and Birch will unravel the truth behind the murder in time for Christmas.