Ben Trovato, an up-and-coming young lawyer in a prestigious Kansas City law firm, snares the penthouse apartment in his building when its long-time occupant dies. But Ben soon finds that the deceased former occupant hasn't exactly vacated the premises. Despite the inconvenient fact of his death, famous mystery novelist David Shepherd is still very much in residence. They say that ghosts have unfinished business on earth, and this one has something very specific in disembodied mind. Shepherd's voice finds its way into Ben's head, and makes it clear that Ben will have no peace until Ben helps him finish his earthly business. Ben must produce the manuscript of Shepherd's final novel, concluding his popular series of mysteries involving down-and-out detective Doug Graves, and deliver it to Shepherd's publisher. The deal gets sweeter for Ben when he meets beguiling publisher Robin Atwater, who wants that manuscript almost as much as Ben wants her. But complications ensue, and his collaboration with Shepherd leads Ben into a shadowy corporate conspiracy, forcing him to make choices that threaten his career, his romance, and maybe even his life.