When Abercrombie Lewker takes his wife Georgina on a holiday in the Cumberland fells, he doesn’t expect to be greeted by a murder almost the moment they set foot in the picturesque village of Birkerdale. A young rock climber has fallen to her death from a high crag in the nearby mountains, but the circumstances seem suspicious to Lewker and his old friend Detective-Inspector Grimmett. So Lewker leaves Georgie behind while he goes undercover at the Cauldmoor Youth Hostel, where he meets a lively group of young hostelers who are eager for him to solve the mystery of their friend’s death. A local shepherd blames the Old Ones, malevolent spirits linked to an ancient stone circle near the hostel, but Lewker suspects a human agent. Despite his years and girth, Lewker is an accomplished mountaineer as well as a celebrated Shakespearean actor-manager who is given to quoting the Bard in booming tones at frequent intervals. He is also a gifted amateur detective in the grand old style who delights in doing a little discreet matchmaking on the side. First published in 1952.

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