Clue from the past

In a quiet corner of the West Country three women of widely different character are brought together in a conflict of will and interest: Anna, a journalist; Miss Lowther, an historian; and Mrs. Dulcie Hambury, wife of a successful writer and proprietress of a newly-acquired antiques shop.
Behind the scenes a local-born detective, late of the Art Squad, embarks on an intensive search for a thief who specialises in the rarities of the antiques trade and whose final recourse to violence is his undoing.
How this case involves the three women and their bone of contention is told in a story which begins with deceptive gentleness and humour, but accelerates towards a climax full of suspense and excitement.