Gerald Hadleigh, the secretary of the writers circle in the quiet village of Midsomer Worthy, was never in favor of inviting the best-selling novelist Max Jennings to attend one of their meetings. When Hadleigh is found brutally battered to death, the other members of the circle wish they had heeded his reluctance. Barnaby and Troy discover that Hadleigh was a man of mystery, with no National Insurance number, no relatives and no marriage certificate to match the wedding photo on display in his house.