Grave Indulgence explores crime on the high seas, and establishes a valiant and original protagonist. Henry Grave is an investigator for the Association of Cruising Vessel Operators. A World War II P.O.W., Henry is as cunning as he is charming, and at 85 years of age, he fits right in with his fellow passengers. At 1200 feet long, the cruise ship Indulgence is the largest in the world. Accommodating 5400 passengers and 2100 crew members, she is nearly as populous as the Pacific island nation of Nauru. At 226,000 tons, she weighs as much as four and a half Titanics. Indulgence is anchored off Helsinki, Finland, preparing to take on passengers for her inaugural voyage when Henry comes aboard. Indulgence is one day old, and nobody has yet been murdered on board. The same could not be said about day two. With the help of an Arabian prince, a voodoo priest, and a displaced band of hunter-gatherers, Henry draws on skills honed in a Nazi prison camp to track down a killer who might have his own reasons for taking this particular cruise, reasons unrelated to the sumptuous meals, delightful shipboard activities, and exciting ports of call.