Retirement should be a walk in the park, but Trina Scotsdale finds her quaint life turned upside down after she discovers a skeleton in Point Washington State Park soon after moving back to her parents' beach bungalow in the picturesque coastal community of Grayton Beach, Florida. The discovery jars long-buried memories, awakening in Trina a compulsion to assist in the identification of the victim. Inner demons stirred by digging into the past collide with the present-day investigation, turning Trina's quest to solve the mystery into a journey of self-discovery. As the identity of the victim comes into focus, Trina finds herself in a Panhandle predicament.

A well-known local artist is found dead in his studio, impaled by the sculpture he created for the prestigious Underwater Museum of Art. Recent retiree, Trina Scotsdale, is as curious as the rest of the crowd assembled outside the crime scene, but she has something no one else there does — a connection with local law enforcement. Having recently helped solve a decades-old case (The Panhandle Predicament), Trina again feels compelled to use her local connections and penchant for attention to detail to see what she can discover. As the list of possible suspects and motives quickly lengthens, it becomes apparent that being well-known does not necessarily mean well-liked. But as Trina tries to puzzle out who killed their picturesque coastal Florida community's Panhandle Picasso, is she making crucial connections or crippling's assumptions.

When a legitimate opportunity is handed to her on a silver platter, Trina Scotsdale takes the plunge and quickly realizes reality is more challenging than fiction. As the unofficial sleuth of her small beach town of Grayton Beach, Florida, she is granted temporary access to the details of active murder investigations. Did the champion surfer drown in a riptide? Did the yoga instructor accidentally strangle herself? Did the celebrity chef crack under pressure? As the bodies keep piling up, the team slips deeper into the Emerald Coast investigation quicksand. Lines begin to blur between cases as Trina searches for similarities. Is she truly discovering clues, or is she simply desperate to prove her worth? When one night of laughter leads her to think out of the box, she digs into a deception that runs deeper than the Gulf coast waters.

She finally understood why so many people dreamt about this very moment.
The one day that belonged to her and her alone. She was the only person on everyone's mind. Hundreds of guests, family from all over the country, and a swarm of worker bees all thinking about her.
Every beeping alarm that morning had signified the start of her day. Every handpicked outfit adorned with care. Every flower cut and carefully paired in bundles and bouquets. Every morsel of international food flown in and prepared with precise intent. Every purposefully placed chair, popped cork and glass shined to perfection. Every detail, request, and flash of the camera. Every decision and every action catered around her happiness, her satisfaction...