When Grace Tolliver, ex-probation officer, purchases Pearl's, a run down antique lamp stop in Barnstable Village, Cape Cod, she hasn't a clue that she'll soon be investigating the murder of a prominent local citizen who has been clobbered over the head with a heavy bronze lamp. Between learning the craft of constructing and hand painting lampshades, readying the shop for the annual Village Stroll, and trying to keep any eye on the antics of her eighty-four year old father, Grace sets out to solve the murder by shedding light on the victim's complicated past. Her quest is hampered by the attractive detective who doesn't appear to be seriously pursuing fresh leads, but is keeping close tabs on Grace. With a town full of likely suspects, a second murder and a sucession of bitter storms battering Cape Cod, Grace has little time to uncover the shady and unrepentant killer.
