Mrs. Edith Rossiter, a rich matron, also has a wealth of greedy relatives--a cold-blooded daughter, a wastrel son, and a desperate sister. Because she is in excellent health, none of them can hope to inherit anytime soon. So when Edith vanishes from Taviscombe's finest nursing home, the police suspect the worst, despite the lack of evidence.
Mrs. Rossiter was a close friend of Mrs. Sheila Malory, who as usual applies her skills as an amateur detective to delve into the lives of the missing woman and her hopeful heirs. Was Edith addicted to sleeping pills? What did the mysterious couple seen in Edith's company want from her? The truth will be stranger and more startling than even Mrs. Malory could have possibly imagined. The Shortest Journey is the third of Hazel Holt's Mrs. Malory mysteries.