A headmaster not always in the best of health or in touch with reality.

A bursar cashiered from the army for fiddling the books.

A computing scientist planning to rob a bank.

A former major in the Black Watch investigating the bursar and the scientist.

A group of staff wives making a killing on the stock market.

A bullying pupil meeting his match.

A former pupil returning to seek his revenge on one of the teachers.

It is the summer term at Beaumont Abbey, a fictitious private independent boarding school for boys. Founded by Sir Athelstan de Beaumont in 1587 during the reign of Elizabeth I and located on the border of the northern counties of Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland, the school is on the brink of becoming co-educational.

Beaumont’s modern buildings contrast sharply with its ancient stone buildings that are listed to protect them from man but not the elements. Its academic all-male staff are highly qualified individuals bordering upon the eccentric. Its pupils come from the British Isles and other parts of the globe to be educated and steeped in its ancient traditions.

Although this is a work of fiction, Michael C. Cox draws upon his and colleagues’ actual experiences of real people and their actions to bring to life the characters and events in this story. As Mark Twain said, Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.

Readers’ comments: I’ve just finished reading your book and I must say it really held my attention. In spite of the lack of thrills and spills it kept rolling nicely along taking the reader with it, rather like an Ealing film of the fifties. Another way to describe it, is to compare it with a high-quality fruit cake. Again no surprises, only enjoyment upon tasting the rich ingredients, knowing that the quality will be maintained until the last bite and will leave a lingering taste in the memory, which will more than compensate for the lack of cheap sensationalism. - Patrick Brown (Almere, Holland)

Reading this, I was immediately transported to my boarding schooldays, my visits to my brother at a famous English public school - and my more recent visits to a university college. The well-researched detail makes the building and the characters spring to life. I enjoyed reading this book and admired the craftsmanship of the author. I look forward with anticipation to exploring the writer’s short stories which is an even more challenging genre. A really worthwhile read. - Georgigirl