Past and present meet with dire results on the island of Mallorca when English sculptor Steven Armitage tries to find out the truth about his father's death 50 years ago. A long-hidden letter of that time to Armitage's now-deceased mother casts doubt on the place and manner of his father's supposedly heroic death in WW II. All this is uncovered by Inspector Enrique Alvarez (Too Clever By Half, etc., etc.) as he investigates the possibly accidental death of simple-minded old Pedro, a village character and one of the scant leads Armitage was exploring. An attempted break-in at the home of Italian expatriate Giovanni Gaspari also seems to connect to Armitage, but the Inspector's work on both cases is summarily ended by higher authority, much to his bewilderment. Only after a verifiable murder and an attempt on his own life is Alvarez permitted to doggedly piece together the mosaic of political history, greed, and cunning that provides the answer to Armitage's search. The Inspector at his most charming, determined, and intuitive. Jeffries, ever a reliable source of affable entertainment, is in top form here.
