Francis Meadowes has landed himself an enviable job lecturing on the history of crime writing aboard the Golden Adventurer as it cruises down the West African coast. His fellow passengers, including opinionated retired surgeon Klaus, mischievous elderly widow Eve, flamboyant designer Sebastian, beautiful American aid worker Sadie and her tedious but extremely wealthy aunt, are an eclectic group. But is any one of them capable of murder?

When one of the guests is found dead in bed and a second disappears overboard, Francis finds himself drawn into a baffling murder investigation where nothing is as it first appears .