When Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, forty-six, a middle manager at Sunshine Desserts, caught the 8.16 one fateful Thursday morning he had no intention of calling his mother-in-law a hippopotamus. But one thing lead to another. He threw a dinner party with no food. He filled a trout stream with loganberry essence. And finally he disappeared, leaving his clothes in a pile on the seashore. He returned under an alias. He created Grot, a shop which sold useless objects, and made a fortune. He created Perrin's, a therapy centre, which collapsed in utter chaos. And he ended up going to work for Amalgamated Aerosols and commuting on the 8.16. Twenty-five years later, killed by a falling billboard advertising the Royal and General Accident Insurance Company, Reginald Perrin finally rests in peace. But when his widow Elizabeth, his daughter Linda, his military brother-in-law Jimmy and his old business associates, C.J., Doc Morrissey and David Harris-Jones gather for the reading of the will, what they hear astounds them. Thanks to Grot, Reginald Perrin died a multi-millionaire and he has bequeathed vast sums to his relatives and close associates on condition that each does something totally and utterly absurd. This sparkling new novel traces the fortunes of all the old Perrin crowd, including C.J. ('I didn't get where I am today by being absurd'), as they combine to devise a strategy which will, they hope, not only earn them their inheritance, but also create a worthy memorial to Reggie's extraordinary life. The result is a breath-taking scheme as bizarre and bold as anything Reggie ever attempted.