Klynham Summer

One summer's morning, 14-year-old Ned Poindexter and his friend Les discover that their chickens have been stolen. At the same time, 250 miles away in the city, a teenage girl is found floating in a pond - her throat cut. Ned has an older brother and sister. The brother Herbert, is not up to much and spends much of his time either at the pub or playing cards with the local undertaker, Charlie Dabney. Ned's sister Prudence is closest to Ned. She is nubile and becoming aware of her attractions, but she is also frustrated with her life, the town and those around her. Ned and Les's chickens were stolen and sold at the pub by Ned's Uncle Athol, a grifter and ne'er-do-well, with a glass eye. However, Ned and Les don't know this and plan to steal back the chickens from the family that they believe are the real thieves, the Lynches Meanwhile a shady character called Hubert Salter has come to town and befriended Uncle Athol and Herbert and hangs out with them at Charlie Dabney's workshop. Uncle Athol brings Salter back to the Poindexter home to meet the rest of the family including Ned's parents and Prudence. Salter does magic tricks to beguile the family but it is obvious he is extremely interested when Prudence arrives on the scene. Prudence goes to the movies with her friend Angela Potroz, they have a slight altercation with a group of adolescent boys headed by Victor Lynch, the family whom Ned and Les think stole their chickens. Shortly after Angela goes missing and the Lynch gang are suspected. Angela is eventually found dead with her throat cut. Salter disappears after Angela's murder, then Prudence also goes missing and Ned tries frantically to find her with the help of Constable Len Ramsbottom who is a bit sweet on Prudence and has been teaching her how to type. Ned tries to get Herbert to help look for Prudence but he is disinterested and preoccupied. Earlier that day an argument starts at the workshop when Charlie accuses either Herbert or Uncle Athol of stealing his booze. The three then discover Salter in the workshop who falls and dies during the fight to get hold of him. It transpires that Salter had been holed up in Charlie Dabney's cluttered and disorganised workshop since the murder. The three men go out to the local tip to dispose of Salters body which is where Ned finds Herbert and tries to get him to help look for their sister. Ned has Len with him which accounts for Herbert's preoccupation and lack of interest since they have Salters body on the back of the truck. It is decided by Ned and Len to search the undertakers premises as that is where Salter was known to hang out. Len finds Prudence tied up but alive inside a discarded coffin in the back of the workshop.