When an anonymous invitation invites Freekly Oldacre to an archaeological dig on the isolated Wirral Peninsular, Freekly finds himself becoming embroiled in a murder mystery which has all the trappings of ritual sacrifice in a quiet rural field. In the quaint thatched cottages and country halls, Freekly discovers an embarrassment of suspects. The temperamental and violent artist who had demanded to marry the murdered man’s niece. The local vicar who had deplored the victim's pagan practices. The local farm owner who had become indebted to the murdered man. The Marquess whose archaeological dig had set him at odds with the victim. Freekly must discover the significance of the red veil, the black dog and the mysterious symbols carved into the murdered man’s body. The pages will turn themselves in this intriguing tale which mixes the traditional tropes of the whodunit with terrifying folk horror.