Relieved from duty in the ‘cold case’ department, Ticker is handed a curious case involving a cursed artefact and an auction where Lord Pemberton has to sell precious items from his estate at Hartley Hall. The auctioneer Manny Scroop and business man Tecquin De Vere are also selling jewels acquired from a recent robbery. They enlist innocent Gwendolyn to ‘model’ the jewels for potential buyers, however when she is found dead at the bottom of the stairs suspicion is cast on the hosts and other guests at the auction. This ‘Bargain Hunt’ is not for the faint hearted. Can Ticker use the statements from witnesses to crack open a case steeped in the mysteries of Peru and the ‘curse’ of a wax work modelled in the image of a dead child

A school reunion and a missing person some twenty years previous is brought into focus when a playground is dug up and a body is discovered. The dead ex-student attended the party and now all the main guests are suspects. Ticker and Sprockett must gather them together to find out who the murderer is and how they have avoided detection for the last twenty years.

Television channel ‘Dodgy Chancers’ launch their cheaper version on ‘The Apprentice’, with Lord Fructose promising to bankroll the winning entrepreneur, however when the most promising candidate is found dead at their accommodation Ticker and Sprockett are sent to ‘sensitively’ investigate and unearth the murderer.

A travelling circus has pitched up near Ipswich in Suffolk. What appears to be an accident when the human cannonball dies is found to be rather more suspicious. Once again Ticker is forced to attend what he terms the ‘seaside beat’ and halt the circus tour until a lurking killer is brought to justice.

A traditional seaside hotel hosts a comedy based weekend event.  Trying to impress with his best ‘Basil Fawlty’ impression the owner is found dead. Ticker is forced to pack his bags and leave his precious London to investigate, unfortunately he has to take Sprockett with him.

The Regency Dining Rooms invite food critic Gillian Mercedes to dine. She dies under mysterious circumstances whilst at the restaurant. Ticker and Sprockett are called in to investigate whether the staff were involved in her demise.

Kerwoods Department Store has a new owner – Walnut Industries from America. Their chief executive arrives and announces sweeping changes to the staffing of this traditional retail store. When the pensions file goes missing and there is a dead body in the office, Ticker and Sprockett are left to work out who dealt the deathly blow.