Caroline Bryce came from the top of the social register in the tranquil town of Treen. So it was quite a scandal when her body was dragged from the bottom of the river. As Superintendent Wycliffe investigates, he’s faced with a number of questions: Who would want to kill the beautiful Mrs. Bryce? Was it a lover’s quarrel? Or a long-held resentment that had suddenly exploded in a moment of madness? As Wycliffe begins to unravel an intricate tangle of love and hate, he finds himself on the trail of a psychotic killer who feels no remorse.