Shanti is caught in a monsoon and hears a frightening sound that leads him back to the site and the discovery of a body in a shallow grave. Along with the body, he discovers some interesting gold trinkets, but a local expert assures him they are worthless tourist items. Yet, as he digs deeper more questions arise with the discovery of more items near the grave sight. A trip to Colombo proves dangerous and brings confirmation of the earlier analysis of the found objects. However, Shanti continues to feel uneasy as a friend experiences a terrible accident and unwanted participants enter the investigation which ultimately leads to an antiquities smuggling ring that de Silva can expose only if he survives long enough to do so.

The monsoon season has arrived in the area of Nuala and a drive home leads to the discover of a body. But there is more to the death then at first seems. Inspector de Silva investigates but must widen his search for the truth further than Nuala.
Another enjoyable mystery in this well-written series, with its very likeable characters.
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