After seeing Inspector Pascoe off on his honeymoon with a few ill-chosen words, Superintendent Andy Dalziel soon runs into trouble and water on his own solitary holiday. Rescued by a bunch of somewhat cheerful mourners, he accompanies them back to their rundown mansion to dry off.

The owner of Lake House, Bonnie Fielding, seems less troubled by her husband’s tragic death than by the problem of saving the family fortunes. Prompted not only by a professional curiosity but also by a more personal interest in Mrs Fielding’s ample charms, Dalziel stays on.

By the time Pascoe reappears, there have been several more deaths and it looks as if the normally hard-headed Dalziel might have compromised himself beyond redemption …