Fay Penrose goes to the village library looking for murder - a murder mystery novel, to be precise. She doesn't expect to find an actual corpse.The dead man was researching an ancient medieval riddle when someone brought a candlestick down on his head. What does that riddle have to do with today's world and who is prepared to kill to keep it secret?Fay finds herself drawn into a nest of ruthless antiquarians for whom the past is more real than the present. They will stop at nothing to get what they want.