Recuperating from a flying accident, Jerry Burton needs to take a break somewhere peaceful. He and his sister Joanna rent a house in the little village of Lymstock, where they know no-one and hope to be able to relax. Their quiet life is shattered, however, by the arrival of an obscene anonymous letter accusing them of impropriety. Jerry refuses to take it seriously and throws it on the fire. But during a routine check-up with the local GP, Doctor Griffiths, he soon discovers that theirs is by no means the first unpleasant missive: a number of other village residents have been similarly harassed. Suspicion is rife, and matters are brought to a head by the suicide of one of the letters' recipients. With the whole village in a state of shock, the vicar's wife decides to invite down an old friend with considerable experience of the darker side of human nature. Can Miss Marple's arrival in Lymstock cast light on events? And can she discover the culprit before more deaths occur? One of Agatha Christie's own favourite novels is dramatised with a full cast including Clare Corbett and Nicholas Boulton.