After a turbulent summer, Maggie Porter just wants a quiet life in Eagle Cove, where she runs a kennel and dog training facility. Business is brisk, people are friendly, and for the first time in a long while, she’s optimistic about the future.

That all changes when Maggie is threatened with legal action after somebody claims to own the property she’d inherited. Knowing the land had been in the family since the days when Arkansas was still a territory, and knowing her grandmother had refused all offers to sell, Maggie believes the claim is bogus. After her attempts to communicate with the law firm fail, she turns to courthouse records to find the property deeds, where her search turns up more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, the community is in an uproar over a local attorney’s proposed Dangerous Dog ordinance to ban specific breeds. If passed, pet owners and businesses alike could face heavy fines—or worse—if found with banned breeds in their care. Animals could be confiscated, banished from the community, or even euthanized if the ordinance is approved. When Maggie speaks out against the ordinance, a boycott against the kennel soon follows.

When the lawyer leading the boycott turns up dead on Maggie’s property, everyone at Waterside comes under suspicion. Sheriff Lucas Johnson doesn’t believe they’re involved, but he’s forced to step aside because of his close ties to the kennel. The investigation is handed to one of his deputies, a man eager to see Lucas’ corrupt predecessor back in office and willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Realizing the deputy has no intention of looking anywhere but Waterside to solve the murder, Maggie launches her own investigation to clear their names. With her dogs at her side—a champion Labrador Retriever, an aging Cocker Spaniel, and a Beagle retired from federal service—Maggie enlists the help of friends old and new to help her untangle the web of deceit and misdirection threatening everything and everyone she holds dear.

Can they uncover the truth and solve the crime before the killer strikes again?