How did it all begin? I suppose it would be the day I rescued a new-born baby from a poisonous snake, heard the news of my mother s death and encountered my first ghost . . . Veterinary surgeon Clara Benning is young and intelligent, but practically a recluse. Disfigured by a childhood accident, she lives alone and shies away from human contact wherever possible. But when a man dies following a supposed snake bite, the victim s post mortem shows a higher concentration of venom than could ever be found in a single snake. Assisted by her softly spoken neighbour and an eccentric reptile expert, Clara unravels sinister links to a barbaric ancient ritual, an abandoned house and a 50-year-old tragedy that left the survivors fiercely secretive. Then the village s inventive attacker strikes again, and Clara s own solitary existence is brutally invaded. For someone the truth must remain buried in the past . . . even if they have to kill to keep it there.