The village of Mere Barton is facing a time of upheaval, with traditional rural lifestyles being forced out by the demands of newcomers in search of a countryside idyll. When local author Sheila Malory is asked to research the history of the village, she has her reservations; 'The Book' is one of the many projects of Annie Roberts. Miserly and controlling, Annie is at the heart of everything that goes on in Mere Barton, much to the resentment of her fellow villagers. Indeed, it seems that hardly anyone - not even the local rector - has a good word to say about her. When Annie suffers a fatal bout of self-inflicted food poisoning, there is more relief than grief around the village. However, as Sheila continues to work on the local history, she discovers that Annie's influence was due to more than just her forceful personality. Was the death as accidental as it first seemed? And which of Annie's adversaries had the most compelling motive? An intriguing mystery containing a tangled web of guilt and deceit, "Any Man's Death" will enthral armchair detectives everywhere.