In Amsterdam attending a conference on international copyrights and royalties, Jessica Fletcher finds that her good friend, fellow author Nigel Allison, vanishes. They had been together just a few minutes before his disappearance and her biggest problem is to get anyone interested in the case. She's initially told that Nigel had taken ill and when she checks later, is told he's checked out. She contacts Inspector Van Horn of the Amsterdam police but he's not much interested either until Jessica mentions having met Philip De Kooning who, it turns out, is a suspected diamond smuggler and arms dealer. When Jessica finds De Kooning dead in his hotel room, she is arrested for his murder. With Horn's help, she lays a trap for the killer.
—garykmcd