The Island of Gozo, linked to Malta by a steamboat ferry, is the delightful setting of this novel of romance and suspense. Beautifully evoked in all its moods, the Island and its people are as much part of the story as the expatriates who bring crime and violence to its age-old tranquillity. Alexa relocates in Gozo to investigate the mysterious death of her father. She finds an unusually expensive painting in his deserted farmhouse and the locals fear for her safety as she closes in on the murderer.