As detective Superintendent Mark Pemberton investigates the death of a woman nick named The Princess, he finds himself asking the same question time and time again. Accident or murder? The last of the wealthy Milverdale family, The Princess has been found shot in the grounds of her estate. Was the bullet that killed her a stray from a local poacher's gun? Or did someone deliberately set out to shoot her dead? Pemberton soon begins to suspect murder as he uncovers unsavoury rumours which suggest there are many who would wish The Princess harm - and the dissolution of the Milverdale estate means tenants are entitled to buy their properties, revealing yet more suspects. Nonetheless, Pemberton becomes convinced that the key to her death is a deep family secret. Could there be an heir? And would a heir do anything to gain his inheritance - such as making The Princess's death look like a tragic accident?