Tensions run high in Lower Pampling as a new type of cricket threatens a century of tradition. When a star player is murdered, Barnaby and Winter's investigation leads them to a surprising person--Barnaby's former sergeant Ben Jones.

Barnaby and Winter are called to the stately home of a master beekeeper after he is injured attempting to apprehend a thief. The village of Granville Norton is abuzz with news of the missing bees, and suspicions fly when one of the locals is stung to death.

After a local photographer wins an urban myth competition with his creation of The Wolf Hunter, it unexpectedly gains a cult following.