Taggart goes to the opera and promptly falls asleep listening to glamorous opera singer, Eleanor Samson (Isla Blair) who returns to her home city.
Eleanor Samson abandoned her husband and son to pursue her career. Even her wealthy father Frank Mulholland sides with her estranged husband.
Eleanor wants to reconcile with her husband John. However he wants a divorce and marry Kirsty King, an attractive young blonde.
When Kirsty's body is discovered in John's boat which was set on fire, Eleanor becomes a suspect.
Taggart is not sure. Later her husband commits what looks like suicide and then her father dies of an apparent heart attack.
In an unrelated matter. The publican Keith Brennan at the place where Taggart likes to drink is planning the perfect murder of his wife. Just as in the movie Strangers on the Train, he ropes in a patsy to do his dirty work and ensure he has an alibi for his perfect murder.
Yet fate conspires to connect all these people.
By the end of the third part, there has been quite a journey. Eleanor lost two people dearest to her. Someone else has also been conspiring to commit the perfect murder and Taggart still finds time to get a few jokes in.
Some of the coincidences in this story do look a little suspect. Brennan just happened to be at the dry cleaners to hear a name being spelt out. However there are several suspects thrown up, a couple of red herrings and it was an enjoyable if grim mystery. I thought it got better as it went along.