What unexpected effect does a mysterious burglar have on the conjugal relations of a couple whose outward harmony is an example to their friends?

What is the true story behind the rumor that the doctor murdered his wife to inherit her fortune?

How does a callow young planter outwit the powerful political boss of an isolated West Indian community?

Seen through the eyes of Mr. Cave's narrator, Max, owner-manager of the Pension Etoile in St. Joseph, the people of the West Indies come alive. Max is a good listener, a student of human nature, and a consummate yarn-spinner.

These are tales of action and adventure, tales of love, tales of political intrigue. All but one have appeared in leading magazines—eight of them in The Saturday Evening Post. Some are wildly comic, and others are touching; all are perceptive, rewarding, and set against the romantic backdrop of the West Indies.