Meet the Penningtons: Lyssa, Ph.D. Economics, and her husband "the handsome Brit" Kyle, Ph.D. Computer Science. When their clever minds ask questions, clever killers can't hide.It's Monday of spring break when Professor Lyssa Pennington's backyard garden project unearths a loaded revolver. With no record of violence at their address and no related cold case, the Tompkins Falls police have no interest. But the Penningtons and a friend with the State Police believe there's a body somewhere. Whose? Where? And who pulled the trigger?The Penningtons' canvass of their quiet neighborhood turns up disturbing secrets about the family that lived in their house for decades and another ill-fated family a few doors away. No one seems to know how to contact either family's only son. The few facts anyone has about the two young men don't add up. The Penningtons feel compelled to find them and make sure all is well.Lyssa follows the money story and finds twenty million dollars, a neighbor who's not what he seems, and a long-buried rivalry. Kyle goes after homicide data in six states and finds a body. Their next surprise is a murderer who will go to any length to conceal the crime.