Sleuthing Koko's feline insights into a murder set Qwilleran's moustache twitching ...

Pickax City is not only about to celebrate its first Mark Twain Festival, but is also hosting the tri-country Scottish Gathering and Highland Games. And most exciting of all, the distinguished celebrity Mr Delacamp is coming to visit, setting female hearts aflutter.

Delacamp is a charming and gallant gentleman: a dealer in estate jewelry, he makes periodic visits with his young, blonde niece to remote and affluent areas. So when, following a tea party with the wealthiest womenfolk of Pickax, Delacamp is murdered, everyone is devastated ...