En route to a family vacation on the French Riviera, Inspector Roderick Alleyn glimpses from the train a shocking tableau. In a moonlit window, a white-robed figure raises a knife to a woman's shadow. Thus begins his incognito exploration of the Chateau of the Silver Goat, where a jet-set cult's "Way of Life" could spell death for a maiden lady of a certain age—and even for Alleyn's own young son—unless he can unveil its illicit mysteries.

This classic mystery thriller combines suspense, drug rings, and human sacrifice with spellbinding results.