Amanda Carter, heiress to a pharmaceutical business and a sizable land trust in Southern California, finds her father dead of a gunshot wound under suspicious circumstances. The attractive homicide detective investigating the death is ordered to close the case, and everyone around Amanda accepts the verdict of suicide. But Amanda suspects foul play and decides to do her own sleuthing. Was her father murdered over his chain of pharmacies, or is something more nefarious at the heart of the crime? And if her father was murdered, what risks await her? Detective Stavropoulos is a widower, an investigator, and an ex-military sharpshooter who's shut down his heart so it won't be broken again. He'd be a fool to fall in love with a pretty heiress from the prosperous side of the tracks, but he can't deny the force of the attraction he feels for Amanda Carter. Can he trust his heart? Can she trust the man? Spirited away to a secluded coastal retreat, Amanda learns the people closest to her have the deadliest intentions. When the detective discovers the secret to the mystery is literally located in Amanda's backyard, can he come to her rescue in time?