James ‘Legs’ Diamond has come up with another off-the-wall idea, and Peter Maxwell is in his sights. Diamond needs someone to take part in an exchange with a teacher from the private sector, and although Maxwell went to just such a school, he is not keen to take part in the experiment. For once, however, his wiles fail him, and he finds himself ensconced under the eaves in a guest room at Grimond’s school in the next county. It is only a day or so before tragedy strikes, as a teacher from the same house – Tennyson – plunges from the roof, literally above Maxwell’s head. Maxwell is plunged into an atmosphere of distrust and secrecy, where the pupils seem to hold the key. Henry Hall is full of secrets too – why are he and Jacquie on secondment, and what is it that they’re not telling? Has Maxwell met his match on the playing fields of Grimond’s? ‘It’s a good, hard to solve mystery.’ The Observer