When her doctors, O'Reilly and Laverty, leave to drive to Ballybucklebo House and the Marquis' Christmas Day open house, Kinky (Mrs. Maureen Kincaid), their housekeeper, entertains a group of carolers with warm drinks and fire and a story about her life as a girl in Southern Ireland. She offers them a story about her life as a girl who developed into an adult who must make a decision whether to follow her dream to travel and to teach or to follow her love and heart.

This is the tale of Connor MacTaggart, who has cut down the blackthorn tree that is the home of the Doov Shee, the dark fairies, the banshees. Kinky's mother, who has the ability to see into the future, warns him against cutting the tree down, but he scoffs at her warning and proceeds to cut it down. The result is the Shee's curse and revenge. The future of Kinky and her sister Fidelma are adversely affected.

This is an entertaining book full of compelling characters and a haunting story of love, mystery, and folklore. To fully appreciate this book, I would recommend reading the previous books.

In addition to a spellbinding story, the author includes some of Kinky's Irish recipes. For the newcomer to the Irish there is a glossary of Irish terms to help you appreciate the story.