The Miss Dumpy parade is back in all its glory on Secret Seal Isle, and with Rain in charge, the residents are getting more than they bargained for. When the festivities are temporarily delayed, Cookie discovers Rain's not the only one with junk in her trunk. A dead body is found in the classic automobile Rain commandeered for the inn's float. And when the corpse is identified as a man with ties to the DeMasi mob, it appears Cookie's past may have finally caught up with her. But Cookie's not the only one who is threatened by the murder investigation. The new deputy-sheriff, June Loon, arrests Rain and her friends for the crime. It's clear Secret Seal Isle is no longer a safe place for Cookie, but leaving the sleepy island town could also mean losing Dylan, the man she loves. With a mother in chains, a killer on the loose, and her heart on the line, Cookie must solve the case to save it all.

ルーシー・クインが描く本作の真髄は、陽気なパレードという祝祭の影に、マフィアという冷酷な過去を滑り込ませる鮮やかなコントラストにあります。単なる謎解きに留まらず、型破りな母と娘が織りなす滑稽ながらも切実な絆、そして逃れられない宿命との対峙が、物語にミステリを超えた文学的な深みを与えています。 安住の地であった島が、強権的な捜査によって変貌していく様は、読者に至極の緊張感をもたらします。愛する人との未来と、崩れゆく平穏の狭間で揺れ動く主人公の葛藤は、自己の居場所を死守しようとする魂の叫びそのものであり、読者の心を掴んで離さない強烈な情熱に満ちあふれています。