At The Holyhocks old people's home, the inhabitants are 'waiting for the scythe'. But while they are waiting..Lady Celia, runs a lucrative blackmailing business on the quiete, Mr. Cross seizes each day with a tantalizing 'who will I outlive next?', and Mrs. Green seems to be hiding a mysterious past. Presiding over them all is Matron, grimly efficient and ever alert to the Expectation of Legacies. Then two newcomers arrive to disturb the life of the home, and suddenly The Hollyhocks is awash with hidden desires, fear and trepidation. Terrible secrets, unusual sexual preferences and dark humour are mixed to delicious effect in the author's wickedly wonderful novel.