Wild Life — Jonathan Gregory

Once again we return to the prettiest village in England, with autumn approaching and where a new school year has started. The Ash twins have gone to Rilton Castle School, meeting new friends and taking on new roles. The family at the Manor House settles down to hard work, rugby and cross country running, as Tom Flowers and James Stonely take on a new case for Sir Freddie Morgan, who keeps big cats on his estate. Sir Freddie needs to know if his place is safe enough from saboteurs to take on a tiger with an evil reputation. Then the peace of Rilton Castle is shattered by a terrorist attack on a parent at the school. The aftermath brings major diplomatic problems for Chief Inspector Regina Muga and her team and Tom comes face to face with his old nemesis, Pritchard, the police officer who got him thrown out of the Met. At the same time Mike Ash, trying to finish the sixth book in his graphic saga, has to deal with Blair Marchland, a book reviewer and his greatest critic, who has moved into the village. Marchland has dedicated his life to pouring scorn on such books, so why did he move to Rilton in the first place? And who is his mysterious visitor? As death and mayhem ensue, once again we discover that life in the Dorset countryside can be really, really wild….