The year is 1729. William Backas, Chief Constable of Whitby, and his wife Margaret are settling down for a cup of tea after returning from a funeral when they are disturbed by the supervisor of the Boulby Alum Works. A corpse has been found in a barrel of urine. The investigation unearths the beginnings at the Coronation and the subsequent tangled lives of a range of intriguing characters, which involves corruption, smuggling, rape and white slavery. However, with the common sense, wisdom and humour of Margaret, and some other helpers, William solves the intriguingly complex crimes. Stephen Baines, whose work has been described by the author Ronald Blythe as ‘beautifully written’, has had two non-fiction books previously published.