When Darina Lisle is asked to write a cookery book sponsored by Finer Foods, a firm that imports exotic gourmet delicacies, she sees it as an exciting challenge. But Darina soon discovers that Finer Foods' profits are plummeting and the finances are in a shambles. To add to all of this, she notices a deep-seated antagonism between the new managing director, Joel Madoc, and the other directors, and the tension is only heightened when Joel announces his engagement to the owner of a local delicatessen. Soon tragedy strikes in Finer Foods' demonstration kitchen - was it accident or murder? When a second death is only narrowly averted, Darina becomes convinced that the police are on the wrong track. Darina soon finds herself doing some tricky international investigating on her own. As she becomes more deeply involved in the mysteries surrounding Finer Foods, will she be able to solve this difficult recipe for murder?