The old farmhouse on Little Wye Creek is creepy enough to be a murder scene, and there's even a dead man on the lawn, but Grace Reagan hopes the infamous Garret Bishop is just pulling another lame publicity stunt. Wealthy, eccentric Bishop has 'survived' an avalanche, a hijacking, and a kidnapping plot. Did he die for real this time in a tragic accident, or was he helped along to his last headline?

Bishop's death shocks everyone, especially Grace, who's so close to escaping the village of Mallard Bay she can nearly taste the lime in a Key West daiquiri. She has a few things to do before she goes, though, and selling the old Morgan farm is on the list. Even though the purchase contract in Bishop's coat pocket has a bullet hole in it, Grace isn't giving up. She's leaving Mallard Bay for good, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a murder.