The Tale of Briar Bank: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

Snow has draped a woolly shawl over Near Sawrey, where Miss Beatrix Potter has retreated to her country house. But the quiet, snow-covered setting belies the buzz below the surface, where Mr. Wickstead has met his death under a tree limb. The villagers are certain that his death had to do with a treasure he had dug up last spring. But why was he in the woods on a frigid night? And what of the claw marks on the limb? And what was that treasure?
As often happens, the town's animals know more than the Big Folk. Actually, Wickstead was not alone; Pickles, his fox terrier, stood by his side. Only Pickles knows what happened, although Bailey Badger, the animals at the Brockery, and the local dragon know important bits, too.
Meanwhile, Miss Potter is unsure what to do about her nagging parents. She also wonders: Can she acknowledge her fondness for Mr. Heelis and remain loyal to the memory of her fiance? She has no time to muse about her personal affairs, what with helping the denizens of Sawrey, human and animal - and the little matter of this murder. Although she's enlisted the help of her furry friends, Miss Potter still wonders if she'll ever make heads or tails of it all...