In the aftermath of solving their first murder, Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have decided to stay in Winthrop permanently. Now that they've made some updates to their cabin in the woods, they're turning to the family hardware store that Tess inherited and converting it into the town's first independent bookstore. There's only one problem: under the floorboards, the contractor finds bones from two cold cases that have been buried for years. Winthrop is a small town, so of course rumors about Tess's grandfather being a serial killer start flying. Tess barely knew her grandfather, but she's sure he wasn't a murderer, and she's determined to prove his innocence. So Tess decides she will help Sheriff Boyd solve the case. But when the murder stumps everyone, it's up to Tess to get to the bottom of things before anyone else gets hurt...even if she doesn't conduct her investigation exactly By the Book.