Things go awry for Katie Bonner when her former mother-in-law, Margo, throws a housewarming party at her lakeside rental, and one of her guests ends up dead in the water. Maxwell Preston was a devoted husband-and a not-so-great dad. He was a beloved pharmacist who didn't take care of his ramshackle property, which is destined to be a hot commodity on Victoria Square when his heir puts it up for sale. But most of all, Preston was a stranger to the others who attended the party.

Meanwhile, Nona Fiske takes charge of Victoria Square's big summer extravaganza-a disaster in the making as what little power she's seized has gone straight to her head. The Davenport sisters have their own agenda, and they've not only been poking around to find out more about the dead man but other mischief that's been going on around the Square.

So, who killed Maxwell Preston and why? That's what Katie wants to know-and she's willing to risk everything to find out.