A pleasant walk along the coast on Folly Beach, South Carolina, thrusts retiree Chris Landrum and his friend Charles Fowler into investigating a death that police are convinced was an unfortunate accident. Their resolve to continue sticking their noses where according to the police they have no business being was strengthened when a second person dies—the second death of a member of the small crew building a beachfront home. With no connection between the victims other than the house under construction, Chris and his circle of amateur detectives struggle to identify a motive, much less the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators of the alleged crimes.
It takes a third mysterious death before the police become suspicious, but by then, Chris and Charles are already in over their heads, a perilous position that could add them to the list of victims unless they can catch the killer or killers.