Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home and can instantly tell if she's been short-changed on turmeric in a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody and an expert in deciphering other people's secrets. Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when a man is found dead in one of the Pardner's homes, Miss Hortense's long-buried past comes rushing back, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget. It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.