No laughing matter - Betty Rowlands

Two fatal cases of food poisoning at Framleigh House, the smart residential home where her mother Sylvia is staying, are treated by the authorities as accidental.

To Melissa's consternation, Sylvia decides to do some detective work: Why do the once-married couple ignore one another in company but make a secret rendezvous in the grounds? Do the two gay actors fit into the puzzle? Can Sylvia trust the confidante whom she has roped into her 'investigation'?

When another resident is taken ill Melissa starts to take her mother's concerns seriously and begins to investigate with the aid of local journalist Bruce Ingram and in so doing puts her own life in jeopardy.