In the beautiful village of Midsomer Market someone is killing the members of a ladies' reading circle. Barnaby finds the little society was really a cover for something quite different - the ladies had been operating a secret investment consortium, and there had been fierce disagreements between them about the cashing in of profits. How exactly does Harry Painter, a disgraced currency trader now working in the village as a swimming pool cleaner, fit into the picture, and what exactly is the motive for the murders?