To the hilt - Dick Francis

Alexander Kinloch, artist, is content with the pattern of his life. His home is a small bothy on a remote hillside in Scotland; he paints on commission from which he derives both pleasure and a decent income; he lives alone and likes it. However, his peace is violently shattered when he returns home one day to find a bunch of thugs waiting for him. After a scuffle, he is left for dead with only the wind and the words 'Where is it?' ringing in his ears. The days that follow contain more risks to life and limb than he could ever have imagined.