At home on Sanpere Island, Maine, caterer and amateur sleuth Faith
Fairchild discovers that real estate can be murder, especially when it's
all in the family, in this twenty-second book in the popular mystery
series.
The Fourth of July is one of the hottest on record and even the breeze
off Penobscot Bay can't seem to cool things down for Faith Fairchild and
the rest of the folks on Sanpere Island. But the fireworks are just
beginning. After the celebrations are over, Faith discovers a body in
the woods near The Birches, an early twentieth-century "cottage."
The body is identified as The Birches' housekeeper, who seems to have
succumbed to a heart attack. The death is only one of the dramatic
events upending the historic house. A family gathering has been called
to decide who will inherit the much loved, and very valuable, estate
that has been in the Proctor family for generations. With this much
money involved, it's just a matter of time before trouble arises.
Faith is juggling her own family problems. Her teenage son, Ben, has
started a new job as a dishwasher at The Laughing Gull Lodge--learning
things that could land him in very hot water. And her daughter Amy is
worried about her new friend, Daisy Proctor. Daisy is
terrified--convinced that someone is trying to eliminate her mother from
getting a share of The Birches. To protect her children, Faith has to
find a possible murderer--before he strikes too close to her own home.
