This is the third of the books about Rex Carver, private investigator. It is the longest and much the best of the series. As in all four books, the plot involves a hectic travel schedule, in this case to Paris, Italy, Libya, Tunisia and Ibiza. There is a large cast of characters, few of whom can be trusted. The plot is fairly unexpected and daring, and there is real tension in the dénouement. The secret services, represented by Manston and Sutcliffe, are involved, and there is a frightening sequence when Carver is tortured by Sutcliffe's staff. This foreshadows all the cruelty displayed by "our" side in the Birdcage books that Canning wrote in the 1970s.