October, 1937: Swanton Morley, the People's Professor, sets off to Essex to continue his history of England, creating The County Guides. Morley's daughter, Miriam, continues to cause chaos and his assistant Stephen continues to slide deeper into depression and despair... Morley is an honorary guest at the Colchester Oyster Festival. But when the mayor dies, suspicion falls on his fellow councilors. Is it a case of food poisoning? Or could it be murder?
