When a nurse at The Ponds care home on the edge of Epping Forest comes to the Arnold PI Agency with tales of suspected over-medication of residents, Mumtaz Hakim goes under-cover to try and find out what is going on. Run by a local family of philanthropists called the Smees, The Ponds is well thought of in London's East End. But as Mumtaz gets closer to the residents at The Ponds and in conjuction with information her husband and business partner Lee Arnold has discovered about the Smee family, a darker side emerges. The Smees have contacts in the world of Mexican drug cartels. And as their investigation continues, Hakim and Arnold not only find themselves in great danger but also at the mercy of strange beliefs they do not understand. Ending in a showdown in London's very own forest, what Hakim and Arnold discover, may rock the British establishment.



Barbara Nadel was born and brought up in the East End of London and now lives in Essex. Prior to becoming a full-time author, she worked in psychiatric institutions and in the community with people experiencing mental health problems. Nadel is also the author of the award-winning Inspector Ikmen series now adapted by the BBC as The Turkish Detective.