Sent to the tiny island of Saint-Marie to solve a mysterious murder Detective Inspector Richard Poole is a total fish out of water. A quintessentially British cop, he would much prefer the London drizzle and a freshly pressed shirt to blue seas, sparkling sands and gorgeous tropical weather.
What Richard finds is a ramshackle station and a very different type of policing. The fact that there's a goat in one of the cells says it all. He can't get out of there fast enough, but there's a job to do and he does it brilliantly. His reward - a permanent posting to the island, his own personal hell on Earth.
He may be stuck there, but he's not going to let his standards slip. He'll bring British rigour to this relaxed Caribbean workplace. Always in a suit and tie, eschewing sandals for a stout brogue, he's the very embodiment of the Englishman abroad. He can get through his ordeal, if only he could find a decent cup of tea...
Richard's team, though, have their own way of doing things. His new partner, feisty DS Camille Bordey is instinctive and brilliant in her own way. Police Officer Dwayne Myers is a little too cosy with criminals for Richard's liking, but he has his uses. And Fidel Best is honest as the day is long - at times frustrating, at times the key to an impenetrable mystery.
Though Richard would never admit it, they make the perfect team and bring heart and humour to a new mystery in every episode.