Karen Shughart Bücher

On a gray November morning, retired police chief Edmund DeCleryk discovers Emily Bradford's body on the beach near the local museum, coinciding with a reported break-in at the museum. Emily's coat and purse are found in the gift shop where she worked, raising questions about whether her death was a burglary gone wrong or something more sinister. When DeCleryk is called away for a family emergency, he hires Ed, a criminal consultant, to assist deputy police chief Carrie Ramos with the investigation. After several leads fail, DeCleryk decides to close the case, but Ed, encouraged by his wife Annie, the museum's executive director, is determined to keep searching for answers. While exploring the museum's basement, they uncover a 1785 map that Ed believes may be linked to Emily's death. Following a hunch, they travel to Toronto, where Ed learns about an original map and a manuscript from 1847 unearthed during an architectural dig. This manuscript details a ship that capsized in a storm on Lake Ontario in 1785, providing Ed with crucial clues about the murder's motive. However, the identity of the killer remains elusive—unless Ed has already pieced it together.