Rachel Chance is happy with her life in Glen Falls, Indiana with her retired racing Greyhound Abby and her gray cat Dancer. She left a high stress job in social work and is still stinging from the betrayal that led her to divorce a husband she realized she did not know after all. Now Rachel is managing rental properties for her stepfather and selling real estate.
Rachel's life is predictable. Daily walks take her past her neighbors including Charley and his Greyhound Gooch. Every Saturday is a trip to the dog park so Abby can play with her Greyhound friends. Most Sundays involve helping her friend Stephen with his kennel business. A year after her divorce, Rachel appreciates the way her life has settled into comfortable patterns.
Then a murder occurs in her neighborhood. The victim is Gerald Price, the brother- in-law of her neighbor Carol. He is killed in a house that Rachel manages for her stepfather, a house just a few doors from Rachel's. When Carol comes under suspicion, Rachel vows to help her. When a friend needs help, Rachel doesn't even need to think about it. She commits to assist in any way needed. She's joined by Will, a new love interest who has recently moved back to Glen Falls. Together, Rachel and Will come up with a plan to find out who might have killed Gerald.
Rachel finds that Carol's family has lots of money but lots of secrets as well. Carol's father Donald Morris amassed a fortune before he died that included both inherited family money and the proceeds from a lucrative car dealership. Carol has been estranged from her brother William and her sister Jackie, but knows she must confront them when she is accused of stealing family money. Rachel and Will strive to uncover secrets about the family and the family business.
Rachel finds that the victim, Carol's brother-in-law Gerald, was involved in schemes that may hold the key to solving the mystery. However, uncovering the truth about the schemes is not easy. Rachel and Will know some people are lying, but who and about what? Finding who had a motive to kill Gerald is hidden in a web of lies.
When Carol's niece Allison disappears, Rachel and Will suspect it has something to do with the murder. Allison's father, William, doesn't seem concerned and Rachel wonders why not. The mystery becomes more complex, and the stakes are even higher as Allison's life may be in danger.
As they search for clues about who killed Gerald, Rachel and Will hear a story about lost treasure belonging to George Rogers Clark that may be hidden on property owned by Carol's family. They rely on Rachel's friend Charley, an expert in local history, to help them discover whether the story about a lost treasure could be true. And a motive for murder.
Although Rachel and Will find out more details about Gerald's life, they are no closer to finding out who killed him. Plenty of people had a motive for killing Gerald, but each new lead comes to a dead end. When Rachel and Will are summoned to the police department, they are warned to stop investigating, but Rachel will not stop as long as her friend Carol is under suspicion.
As Rachel and Will continue to seek answers, Rachel is faced with a new danger. A cunning killer had been hiding in plain sight all along. In a dramatic confrontation, Rachel's life is on the line. Her beloved Greyhound Abby may be Rachel's last hope of escaping from the killer.
Randall Wisehart is a retired educator. He taught middle school through graduate school. In addition to the Rachel Chance and Will Keller mysteries, he has also written three historical fiction novels for middle grades students. Randall lives in east central Indiana with his wife Tammy and their happily retired Greyhounds.
