Set in Orange County, California, these murder mysteries are about the life and career of Clarissa Santy, a female homicide detective. The series begins with the murder of her father who was a fervent anti-nuclear power protester. When she turns 18, she comes to the realization that the wrong man was arrested for his murder and then finds out more about her family and learns the hard way that there are some questions best left unanswered. Follow her as she investigates the murder of a priest at an Abbey in the Canyon and the investigation into the gruesome death of a famous southern chef.