When a friend's husband dies while Jessica Fletcher is in town visiting, she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation in this latest entry in the long-running USA Today bestselling series. After heading down to D.C. for a mystery writers' conference, Jessica Fletcher decides she's earned a vacation and takes a train to Columbia, South Carolina, to visit her old college friend Dolores. Dolores has just married her third husband, Willis Nickens, a wealthy and cutthroat businessman, and they've moved into an opulent historic home with plenty of space for guests. The morning after she arrives, Jessica goes out for a morning walk on the grounds of the estate, only to discover Willis facedown in the koi pond. The police think it might be a freak accident, but Jessica isn't so sure. In her short time there, it had already become apparent that Willis wasn't interested in making friends. In her mind, the question isn't if Willis was murdered, but by whom.