- When the beaten body of wealthy German businessman is discovered in the harbour, Gently and Bacchus are forced to consider whether a barman's anti-German sentiments are a motive for murder.
- Chief Inspector George Gently and Detective Sergeant John Bacchus investigate the murder of Gunter Schmeikel, who is found at the bottom of the harbor. The man drowned but his back had been broken, so it clearly wasn't an accident. Gunter had lived in England as a POW during World War II and had worked on Old Jim Hardyment's farm. It's only been 20 years since the end of the war and there is still a good deal of anti-German sentiment. The dead man's son and daughter-in-law, Wilhelm and Trudi Schmeikel, are lying to the police about their whereabouts on the evening of Gunter's death. It also appears that Wilhelm is under investigation for embezzling funds from his father's business. As well, young Jimmy Hardyment may hold hard feelings against Gunter who had an affair with his mother. Meanwhile, Gently is concerned when he learns that Sgt. Bacchus is having money troubles.—garykmcd
- John hoped to handle a case alone, but even 'on holiday' Gently rushes in just behind him at the pier where a badly battered corpse beaches up, after a severed eye, followed by his sailing yacht, which belongs to German pharmaceutical company founding owner Gunter Schmeikel, who was reluctantly followed by son Wilhelm and his wife Trudi to visit old Jim Hardyment's pig farm, where Gunter rather enjoyed being POW-quartered as shot-down Luftwaffe pilot. Testimonies contradict, but it seems people there at the fatal timer include Wilhelm, with our without his wife, publican Malcom 'Chick Shavers' Fairey, ringleader of Germany-haters who pissed in Gunter's beer, Jim's adopted farmhand Jimmy, who suspects Gunter having sired him with in-living Molly who committed suicide shortly after his release, and national park ranger Robert Stratton, a passionate birdwatcher stuck with a halfwit second wife and daughter, who lost his first family in Nazi bombing. Gentley duly worries that John's debt make him a corruption risk.—KGF Vissers
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