The shout came as they were completing the eleventh hole. Away to their left a young greenkepper waved at them a frantic, unsteady arm... The body is that of a man who had been ejoying a few days of golf and relaxation with his friends at the Wye Castle Hotel and Country Club. Superintendent Lambert and Sergeant Hook establish fairy quickly how he died, but discovering who killed him proves a more difficult challenge. The golf course and hotel are set in spectacular sceney beside one of England's most beautiful rivers, with the tower of Hereford's ancient Cathedral visible in the distance. In May this incomparable valley is at its best, but it is a bizarre context for the investigation of a brutal murder. Gradually Lambert unearths the secrets of the group who surrounded the dead man. There is an urgency abut his investigation, for even while the suspects play golf and enjoy good food and wine, there is more violence abroad within the ivy-clad walls of the old hotel.