A murder at an artists' colony - but not everyone wants Chief Superintendent Wycliffe to investigate . . . The artists' colony is at the site of a disused mine working on the moor west of St Ives, and it's run by Archer and his wife Lina, according to astrological principles.The newest member of the colony is Francine, a beautiful if fey young woman with a legacy to invest.Archer isn't keen - not least because she is a Scorpio - but Lina takes a more pragmatic view.Then Francine is found dead, killed by a deliberately blocked gas-heater flue. Wycliffe investigates - and soon discovers that several members of the colony have very good reasons for not wanting the police poking into their affairs . . .