Brought up on a steady diet of mystery fiction by her Uncle Bob, Samantha Kinsey inherits his bookstore, complete with its live-in expert, retired former CIA agent Ian Philby.  Now, in her new position, mysterious murders seem to occur all around her.  Fortunately, she is the perfect person to solve them, because of all her years of reading about every possible fictional crime. She gets assistance from her friend Cassie, an aspiring district attorney, and from police chief Connors.