The singular occurence at Styles

Newsome Holder is wealthy, bored, and convinced that ordinary pleasures have long since lost their power. Fascinated by the refined, orderly murders of British detective fiction, he travels to the sleepy village of Styles, believing its ancient inn, manor house, and quiet streets provide the perfect setting for a carefully planned crime. His goal is not revenge or profit, but the private satisfaction of discovering what it feels like to take a life.

As evening settles over the village, Holder carries a razor-sharp knife into the darkness and looks for an unsuspecting victim. A chance encounter with a young cyclist appears to offer the opportunity he has been waiting for, while the peaceful surroundings lend his scheme an unsettling air of ceremony. This compact tale blends dry humor, classic English atmosphere, and mounting dread as an outsider attempts to turn a storybook murder into reality.