The house in Chelsea was smart, in an unpretentious way. But when detective John Bryant rang the front door bell, he found neither intellect nor artistry; what lay before him was a world of curious contrasts - of extravagance and squalor, luxury and murder.

Bryant follows his lads from a second-rate strip club, via a vast modern steelworks to the Seamen's Quarter in Amsterdam. Piece by piece the truth is uncovered and the mystery reaches a crescendo in a climax of violence against the brilliant colours of a sun-filled patio.