Retired Atlanta police detective Mac Burns was trying to enjoy retirement in the lowcountry town of Bluffton, South Carolina. He had planned to live a quiet, solitary life after a challenging career and messy divorce. Mac's dislike of the gated communities cropping up on Hilton Head Island and even in Bluffton was obvious to his friends, Richard Percival (Percy) and his college buddy and realtor Dan Wheeler. They'd often heard their friend talk about the restrictions of homeowner's associations and the boards that run them. He hated the incursion of planned developments that eat into the serenity of Old Town Bluffton. When his younger lady friend, Shelby Crewe, pressed him to look into a situation with a widowed neighbor who was being taken advantage of by a developer, he reluctantly agreed to investigate. He had no idea of the layers of deceit and corruption that investigation would uncover. So much for retirement.