Miriam Birdseye is daring, brilliant - and a long way from The Ivy. Our dashing heroine, a famous revue artist, takes to the slopes with her coterie of admirers. Champagne flows and wherever Miriam goes she leaves a trail of gossip in her wake.

Fellow ski-resort guests include the celebrated Russian ex-ballerina Natasha Nevkorina, whose beauty is matched only by her languor, Natasha's burly husband, nightclub owner Johnny DuVivien, and the wealthy Flahertés, a family that has made its money importing scents: handsome playboy Barney, his wife, Regan, their two obnoxious children and the governess Rosalie. Unbeknownst to Regan, Barney's mistress, a film star, is also there with her husband.

When secrets start to unravel, tensions rise and soon amateur sleuths Miriam and Natasha have not one but two murders to solve. In the hands of Nancy Spain, for whom farce and humour are a lot more fun than a conventional detective novel, the result is a deliciously wild ride.