The well-known Kenyan woman writer here tells an exciting story for young readers. The title is one in a series developed to meet the supplementary reading needs of secondary level pupils, and to encourage reading for pleasure. Reminiscent of the proverb that the serpent hisses where sweet birds sing, the story starts when Adela and Keti jokingly enter a village beauty contest - the start of excitement and adventure, fraught with danger and tragedy.

Matthew is nicknamed "Prettyboy," forced by circumstances to leave his shanty home to live with well-off family friends at the coast in Kenya. Life at the coastal town bustles with fast living, excitement, hopes, fears, danger, and illusions of the good life. But behind all this, tragedy lurks. The novel is one of a series developed to advance written and spoken English amongst lower secondary school students.