A body surfaces off the Isle of Man in a puzzling mystery by the master of the "pure British detective story" (The New York Times).

The Manx Shearwater was scallop dredging-but it dragged up a body from the water instead. Considering that the corpse was tied at the ankles and weighed down with stones, it's clear this was no accidental drowning-and now the locals are in an uproar.

The victim appears to be Cedric Levis, who had an extravagant house and a reputation for philandering. Was Levis murdered for his money-or was this a crime of passion? Under the pretext of a holiday, Chief Inspector Littlejohn is invited by his old friend Archdeacon Kinrade to unofficially assist with the murder investigation-but to separate fact from fiction, he'll have to sort through accusations, town gossip, and mysterious stories surrounding the ancient Cursing Stones ...