Since she met her fiance Martin Bartell, Roe Teagarden has never been happier. There's a difference in age and in background, but he seems to know exactly what she wants - like the Julius house. Roe is thrilled when Martin gives her the house as a wedding present. She's a keen amateur sleuth, and she has always been intrigued by its infamous history: six years ago, the family who lived there disappeared, never to be seen again. As Roe throws herself into renovating the Julius house, her misgivings about Martin's rather murky past recede. But when Roe is attacked by an axe-wielding maniac, she realises that the secrets inside her four walls - and her brand-new marriage - could destroy her.