Hilton Head private investigator Bay Tanner has seen enough murder and mayhem to last her several lifetimes. Her decision to accept only the most mundane cases has led to a more settled life with her husband and employees until the appearance of an old friend scuttles all her good intentions.

Sylvia Reynolds, lovingly known as Pudge back when their crowd shared forbidden cigarettes in the girls’ restroom, has morphed into Sylvie Reynaud, one of the world’s former top fashion models. Every few months she and a few women meet at Sylvie’s spectacular north island home to drink, party, and commiserate as they slide into middle age. Except one of them has a husband who enjoys using her as a punching bag, and her injuries are becoming more serious every time the group meets. Sylvie wants Bay to help put a stop to it before their friend ends up dead.

It sounds straightforward enough at first–until Mary Alice Stuart’s husband suddenly disappears from the yacht they keep docked at a local marina. Then evidence that points to something more sinister than a simple marital squabble begins to mount, and his battered wife becomes the prime suspect. But could the petite, very proper woman they all called Scarlett really be capable of violence–or worse? Or is this just another facet of James Stuart’s vicious campaign to punish his wife?

With her longtime partner Erik Whiteside off on a personal mission and with an inexperienced employee as backup, Bay tries valiantly to balance the demands of her other clients with the search for James Stuart and her own private fears for the safety of her beloved Lavinia Smalls.

One thing she knows for certain–friends in need can be a deadly serious business.

A Bay Tanner Mystery #13