A detective inpector is tranferred from the Met in London to the island of Saint-Marie in the Caribbean; unfortunately, he dislikes sun, sea and sand.
      Scotland Yard DI Richard Poole is sent to the Caribbean island of Sainte Marie to solve a fellow policeman's murder. Having done so, he finds himself seconded to the local police force as the dead man's replacement. Poole proves to be a brilliant detective, solving several complex murder. He's not quite suited to either the pace of life on the island or the heat and sand, neither of which he doesn't like very much. He also doesn't like seafood. That aside, the place is just great.

Wealthy sugar plantation owner Roger Seymour - who was planning to donate his plantation to the island as a museum - is murdered. Suspects include his younger partner Kim and his alcoholic ex-wife Nicole,now in a relationship with Roger's nephew Alex,the sole heir. Alex believes Kim to be a gold digger and has caught her in conversation with a mysterious man whilst the doctor tells Poole Roger was terminally ill and would soon have died anyway. In solving the case Poole relies on the history of the island in slavery days and an incident from the past which has ...