One foot in the grave
Peter Dickinson1979

A great Edwardian pile called Flycatchers, now converted into a luxury home for old people, is the scene for the last days of a number of eccentric lives, including that of former Detective Superintendent Jimmy Pibble of Scotland Yard.

But one death occurs at Flycatchers whose victim is neither old nor ill - someone is intent on speeding up the slow dance towards death. Pibble is reluctantly drawn to discover who - and why ...