When the body of a French woman washes up on a wild inlet off the Cornish coast, Brian Macalvie, divisional commander with the Devon-Cornwall police is called in. Who could have killed this beautiful tourist, the only visible footprints nearby belonging to the two little girls who found her? While Macalvie stands in the Scilly Islands, inspector Richard Jury-twenty miles away on Land's End--is at The Old Success pub, sharing a drink with the legendary former CID detective Tom Brownell, a man renowned for solving every case he undertook. Except one. In the days following the mysterious slaying of the Parisian tourist, two other murders take place: first, a man is found dead in a country estate, then a holy duster turns up murdered at the Exeter Cathedral. Macalvie, Jury and Bronwell set out to discover whether these three killings, though very different in execution, are connected. As the trio sets out to solve this puzzle, Jury and Macalvie must trust that Brownwell is as good as he’s reputed to be. Written with Grimes's signature wit, sly plotting, and gloriously offbeat characters,The Old Success is prime fare from "one of the most fascinating mystery writers today" (Houston Chronicle).