Jewel and Craig Mantelle made it through their kids' first visit to their island home, a fixer-upper inherited from Craig's long-lost aunt, but it didn't go as smoothly as Jewel had planned. Craig is now back in South Florida, not answering her calls, and she is alone, sweating it out in the old house without air conditioning. The one bright spot in her week is lunch and island gossip with her new friends.

At the top of the lunch bunch's list is the fact that, once again, the Sophia Island Shrimp Festival was a hit. Thousands attended to eat shrimp, shop, and watch pirate reenactors come ashore, but this year's temperatures were warmer than ever. The festival committee is happy that the busy, hot weekend is over and that everyone came through unscathed.

Or so it seems.

When they aren't searching out the details of Jewel's disintegrating marriage, the lunch bunch is discussing the death of one of the Shrimp Festival board members. It's not much for conversation-everyone assumes Amanda Raines died of natural causes-until her novelist son comes to town, acting as if one of his bestselling thrillers has come to life.

Timothy Raines says his mother embezzled money from the festival and that a man is involved. And that's not even the craziest thing about the case.

From poisoned muffins to gaslighting spouses, Jewel and her friends must put on their sleuthing caps and get to the bottom of the rotten affair snaking its way through Sophia Island's community.