teran Hollywood screenwriter Lee Hollis, friends, moms, and P.I. partners Maya and Sandra have left their hometown of Portland, Maine, on a school trip to Washington, D.C.--where a killer has just added murder to the itinerary. . .

Drafted as chaperones, Maya Kendrick and PTA president Sandra Wallage are accompanying the SoPo High seniors to the nation's capital--much to the embarrassment of Maya's daughter Vanessa and Sandra's son Ryan. Now both moms are about to find out which is harder--shepherding unruly high schoolers or solving a murder. The last sight they expected to see on this trip is a female intern who works for Sandra's soon-to-be-ex-husband, Senator Stephen Wallage, in a fatally compromising position.

Desperate to avoid scandal, Stephen begs Maya and Sandra to solve the case. But their FBI counterparts--tough-as-nails agents Markey and Rhodes--are far less enthusiastic about the meddling of two "amateurs." With suspects ranging from senators to students to stalkers, Maya and Sandra must follow a twisty trail of clues so they can catch a killer and survive to make the return trip . . .