When Tom attends a scene of vandalism at a Vietnam War Memorial garden, he discovers the culprit is an escaped prize-winning bantam pullet called Hannah. When the hen is later found with a broken neck, her frantic owner suspects the neighbour, who is a rival poultry breeder. With several other likely suspects to choose from, Jo seizes the opportunity to escape pressing paperwork, and takes up the case with all the enthusiasm of a comical amateur sleuth. But the situation intensifies when a young homeless boy is rushed to hospital suffering from a deadly virus directly linked to free roaming birds. With the population of Mt Thomas under threat, the disposal of all local chickens is urgent
