Inspector Alvarez likes the quiet life, away from the disapproving gaze of his boss, Superior Chief Salas, and the antics of Mallorca's expatriate community. So he is not inclined to become too concerned when Bevis Ogden, a wealthy British man, reports the disappearance of his attractive young wife, Sabrina. No doubt she has found a younger, possibly wealthier, alternative and left for greener pastures.

However, the discovery of a body at the bottom of a gorge changes his attitude dramatically. The husband is distraught, but is this just an act? Rumors abound over Sabrina's lifestyle-from the lovers to the over-indulgent spending. But their expat pack is rife with unsavory characters: The young gigolo who, dependent on a wealthy older woman, may have had an illicit affair with Sabrina; and the cynical and bitter friend whose advances she may have rejected. The investigation becomes even more complicated when the specter of an insurance fraud is raised.

Alvarez thinks he knows the answer, but proving his theory is another matter. Wittier and fresher than ever, this latest novel in the "good natured, wonderfully ironic, completely captivating" series (Buffalo News), proves that Roderic Jeffries is a clever and compelling storyteller at the top of his form.