sentences:  When the card arrives torn in half one day, a murder is committed that same evening.Holidaying in the local area, Wycliffe finds himself drawn into the investigation and soon uncovers a sinister tale of double murder, arson attacks and a whole host of other crimes reverberating down the years.With his wife away for Christmas, Wycliffe readily accepts an invitation to stay with a Penzance lawyer and his family in their remote country home; although when he arrives he finds the atmosphere less than welcoming, and the unease soon culminates in the disappearance of a young girl, whom he had seen playing the Virgin Mary in a recent nativity play.