Torie O'Shea investigates the tangled roots of an ancient family tree. Torie O'Shea- genealogist and amateur sleuth- is having a killer of a day. The town gossip spreads the word that her sweet wheelchair-bound mother is having an affair-with the sheriff! Then quiet Marie Dijon is found dead at the foot of her basement stairs. Did she fall? Was she pushed? All Torie knows is that Marie had a family tree with royal roots completely foreign to a folksy...

Chronicles the efforts of John Gray to marry off his daughter Mary to the heir of Deer Lick, Missouri's, wealthiest family, until the appearance of a stranger not only derails Gray's plans but also leads to murder.

Set in the quaint hollow of Deer Lick, a mythical town resembling Hannibal, Missouri, this bizarre tale chronicles the fortunes of humble farmer John Gray, determined to marry off his daughter Mary to the scion of the town's wealthiest family. But the sudden appearance of a stranger found lying unconscious in the snow not only derails Gray's plans, but also leads to a murder whose solution lies at the heart of the tale.