Gabe is an accountant and a curious guy, but he rejects the notion that he's nosy--prying, meddling, intrusive. He will admit that his curiosity and a selfless desire to come to the aid of friends, relatives, coworkers, clients (some of whom he doesn't even like), and various officers of the law (most of whom don't like him and reject his help out of hand) get him into situations.

Situations in which he has to figure out who exactly is trying to incinerate, bludgeon, shoot, stab, garrote, or otherwise end him. You might think that the various officers of the law would help out but you'd be wrong about that. Still Gabe perseveres and triumphs in the end. Sort of.

This is the first of a series of mysteries and introduces our hero. Who is not exactly bumbling or inept, but “masterful” is not a word that springs to mind to describe Gabriel Henri Bergeron, CPA.

At the beginning of our story, Gabe reluctantly accepts an invitation from Neal Hartmann, his best friend since they were five years old, to visit an idyllic state park on the idyllic banks of the idyllic Chesapeake Bay.

Gabe can't tell his friend that he's too busy since he is currently unemployed having been fired from Girard-Hartmann Accounting by Eric Duncan Girard.

Gabe arrives intent on urging said friend Neal (the Hartmann part of the partnership) to sever all ties with Eric (the Girard part) forthwith, Gabe has always harbored suspicions about the cleanliness, general intelligence, and criminal tendencies of Eric Girard. Well, Eric isn't actually dirty or stupid, but he is smirky. Which is almost as bad. And he is definitely a criminal. Of some sort.

So Gabe journeys to Janes Island State Park in Crisfield, Maryland, where Neal is camping for reasons incomprehensible to his best friend. Well, the camping part is incomprehensible. The park itself is quite nice; a little outdoorsy but parks are often like that.

Eric is also there lounging and smirking on his yacht. Well, until the yacht explodes and takes Eric to the bottom of Daugherty Creek. It must be said that the medium-sized bomb does render Gabe's arguments in favor of Neal extricating himself from the partnership moot.

And the camping trip manages to go down hill from there.