This sequel to Shadowy Tales opens with the brutal murder of Beverly St. John, the wife of the Piney Falls Chief of Police. Her death triggers fear among the women in this small rural community. Major changes are taking place in the lives of other familiar individuals of this town that intertwine with the search for the murderer. Through her own ingenuity and fast thinking, Pastor Fran must save herself from death at the hands of the wily perpetrator.

Realizing rescue is not imminent, Fran creates a list of potential perpetrators and their possible motives for the death of Beverly St. John. This list prompts her to make another list consisting of triad romantic relationships, including her own. At times, it seems these relationships will never be resolved, including the tale of her own daughter, Coral. When women in the community come to Pastor Fran to confess their own indiscretions, one man seems to be at the center of each tale, the Reverend Bolger's brother, Harry.

As Fran struggles to help solve the murder of Beverly St. John, challenges mount in the "coming of age" story of Allie Bolger, the expectation of a new heir to the wealthy and influential Capriano family, the success of Glory Bautista's newest book, and the disruptive arrival to Piney Falls of a visiting professor from England.