"Be gay, solve crimes! The Killing of a Chestnut Tree introduces Havelock Harper, an all-new queer gentleman detective in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, with a cozy, fantastical mystery."
Everyone in England knows Havelock Harper, the celebrated consulting detective, from the cases published in the papers. If any of them read his secret files, they would discover a very different man. His most fantastical cases must never reach the public eye, and nor must the love he shares with his stalwart companion, the formidable Major Sebastian Wright.
The Duke of Farleigh has been killed, and Havelock Harper summoned to the secluded Farleigh Forest to solve his murder. When he and Sebastian arrive, they discover a greater mystery. The trees of Farleigh have begun to speak, writing words into their leaves and bark. The victim is one of those an ancient chestnut, cruelly chopped down.
Why has the forest begun to speak? Why would anyone cut down the Duke? And how can Farleigh’s gentle, quiet paradise survive this crime?
“做个同性恋，顺手破破案！《栗树之死》（The Killing of a Chestnut Tree）为读者隆重介绍哈夫洛克·哈珀（Havelock Harper）——一位承袭夏洛克·福尔摩斯传统、兼具温馨与奇幻色彩的全新酷儿绅士侦探。”
全英格兰的人都能从报纸上刊载的案件中知晓哈夫洛克·哈珀的大名，他正是那位名声远扬的咨询侦探。然而，若有人翻开他的绝密档案，便会发现一个截然不同的男人：那些最为不可思议的怪诞案件绝不可公之于众，正如他与忠实伴侣——沉稳干练的塞巴斯蒂安·赖特（Sebastian Wright）少校之间矢志不渝的爱意一样，必须永远隐匿于世。
法利公爵（Duke of Farleigh）惨遭杀害，哈夫洛克·哈珀受召前往偏僻幽深的法利森林调查这桩谋杀案。当他与塞巴斯蒂安抵达时，却撞上了一个更为离奇的谜团：法利森林的树木竟然开口“说话”了，字句被深深刻写在它们的枝叶与树皮之中。而惨遭毒手的受害者正是其中一员——一棵被残忍砍倒的古老栗树。
森林为何突然开口说话？究竟何人会狠心砍倒这位“公爵”？法利原本静谧祥和的世外桃源，又该如何在这桩罪行之下幸存？