While in the neighborhood investigating a pet poisoner, Grijpstra and de Gier of the Amsterdam police are called to the home of a wealthy, middle-aged woman, the former lover of a man known only as "The Baboon," when her body turns up in her garden.
The accidental death of his brother-in-law sends Grijpstra—with his companion de Gier in tow—to Jamestown, Maine, where they find a town full of suspects and a series of shady real estate deals.
