In one of the loveliest bays on the Costa Brava, Ferdy, the charismatic yet mightily unpopular host of Bar Xerxes is found dead.
Out of the many foreigners who had settled in the bay, there were some who missed his light-hearted approach to life yet most were relieved.
But Simon and Ronald who uncovered the body were anxious…
Many of the bay’s residents had good reason to want Ferdy dead.
Among the suspects are four men and a woman, each with a secret that was known only to Ferdy: austere historian, retired soldier, headmaster, north-country entrepreneur — and Vanessa, whose curious uncle Hubert begins to trace the murderer’s steps.
Hubert knows that these suspects are holding back the full truth, but could the full truth actually be worse than the lies that have been concocted in the wake of Ferdy’s murder?
Treading closely on Hubert’s heels comes Inspector Borges, relentlessly exhuming the past with a deceptively casual touch.
When everyone has reason to want Ferdy dead, and everyone tells the odd white lie, how will anyone ever discover the truth?