Aurora Teagarden - Ro in more familiar settings - a Lawrenceton librarian and president of a real murders discussion club, is still navigating the early stages of a romantic relationship with ex-CIA agent turned company executive Martin Bartell, the two who seem destined for a path to true love. Ever since she got a sizable inheritance from an acquaintance, Ro has wanted to buy a house, her mother, Aida Teagarden, her real estate agent. Against Aida's advice, Ro finds what she believes is the perfect house in the country, five miles outside of Lawrenceton. The fact that it is the infamous Julius house does not dissuade her from buying it, the Julius family - parents T.C. and Hope, the latter who suffered from cancer, and their teenaged daughter Charity - disappearing without a trace four years ago. The Juliuses, only recently moved to Lawrenceton from Spokane, were apparently off to dinner with an unknown friend from Spokane he who drove a white car, the Juliuses never to be seen again. Hope's mother, Melba Totino, who now lives in Portland with her sister Alicia Minault, had all three legally declared dead - the reason she is able to sell the house - but still holds hope that they are still alive and will one day come home. Based on circumstantial evidence she finds in the house, Ro believes the Julius family's disappearance was not accidental, she along with her fellow real murders club colleagues John Queensland (Aida's boyfriend), Ro's best friend, newspaper reporter Sally Allison who has been assigned to do a follow-up story on the Juliuses, and ex-juvie Perry Dell, who decide to investigate, much to the chagrin of Homicide Detective Lynn Smith, who was one of the officers on the case four years ago and who has always resented Ro's interference in police matters. Martin too would rather Ro not investigate, despite her tenacity being one of the traits which he admires. That evidence points to problems between controlling T.C. and Charity over her relationship with a boy named Harley Dimmoch, the two who started dating when the Juliuses still lived in Spokane. Ro also believes that there are many unknown secret places in the house, which may hide some further clues. Martin's worries could come to pass if the Juliuses were indeed murdered and the murderer believes Ro is getting too close to finding out the truth. Meanwhile, John may ultimately have to choose between the real murders club and Aida, who can't do anything about her objections about Ro's sleuthing, but may be able to with John