When Beach Reads bookshop hosts a Valentine's Day event, "Romance by the Sea," bookseller Summer Merriweather has no idea that the guest author is under investigation for her own husband's murder. When that same author is found dead at the local bed and breakfast, nobody assumes it's natural causes-there were plenty of people who wanted her dead.

As Summer searches for the truth about the author's stranger-than-fiction life, Summer finds suspicious indications of shady behavior in the author's belongings. But the casual sleuthing is quickly derailed when Summer's friend Glads gets hauled in for the murder, and they launch a full-blown investigation to clear her name.

As Summer and company pick through the scant clues to solve the case, they may find more treachery and heartbreak than they bargained for.