Claire Watkins, deputy sheriff of Pepin County, Wisconsin, makes a
strong second showing that ought to gain her new fans. In spite of
recurrent panic attacks associated with the death of her husband, Claire
is starting to find the peace and security she's been seeking for
herself and her 10-year-old daughter, Meg, since leaving her promising
career with the St. Paul-Minneapolis police department for the small
bluff town of St. Antoine.
One summer evening, while her sister Bridget takes care of Meg, Claire
and Rich Haggard, a local pheasant farmer she's been dating for three
months, attend a street dance in nearby Little Rock. Just as the fun
gets under way, screams for help stop the music and put romance on hold.
Someone has stabbed well-liked farmer Jed Spitzler in the chest. Members
of the close-knit St. Antoine community join Jed's children in searching
for Jed's killer.
Long-hidden town secrets are revealed as Claire seeks the truth and
continues to struggle with her own demons.