The Mafia muscles in on the Gothic, as Gillian St. Just (who goes ""rigid with shock"" at the drop of a clue) sets out on a sea cruise with unwary friends to kidnap her sister June's daughter by her estranged Sicilian husband. Aside from the strain of this venture, there are doubts about the man whom Gill loves. Stories about his past just don't tally, and he seems to have Sicilian connections. The mystery of the wrecked boat Tamarisk and the Mafia-battling recovery of the child occupy Gill when she's not paling on the edges of her bikini. Blandissima.