After cracking up in Europe, gumshoe Dusty Darling is sailing home to Manhattan. His R&R soon gets shelved when he accepts an urgent assignment from another passenger, a Park Avenue dame with a badly banged-up kisser. Next thing, he's drawn into a curious shipboard death, a shady disappearance, and a rash of jewel thefts. All the while, he battles mal de mer, and the doctor's Rx is pretty much, "Take two martinis and call me in the morning."

A shameless womanizer, Dusty has the hots for the ship's pretty social director. He's also flipped for a beautiful twin with a poignant past, love of string art, and nitwit fiancé. A screwball colonel, a stagestruck teen, a crafty gigolo, and two shipwrecked sailors add to the high seas hijinks.

A cozy mystery, set in 1961 and mixed with equal shots of murder, romance, and humor, lands the pickled Dusty in a pickle. Just how far overboard will he go for love?