An Ignoble Profession

Deep in the Dordogne, a book appears in local bookshops and the tale it tells is immediately recognised by four seemingly innocent retired English couples. Different names, but the murky details of their pasts are deadly accurate. Who is the mysterious writer? How much does he know? What does he want? Is the brainless Michael Bollington really the Lord he claims to be? Did Mark Olson, ageing hippy and animal rights activist, once blow up a scientist in his experimental laboratory? Behind the blandly legalistic exterior of Richard Carter, is there a story of blackmail and extortion? Where does debonair, hard-up Johnny McGuire fit in? And the party-giving Sue Brimmington-Smythe: none of them seems to know much about her ? or do they? What frightens the four men into ganging up to murder someone only one of them has ever met?