In Santa Rosa, California, young-adult Charlotte "Charlie" Newton believes it's providence when her maternal Uncle Charlie Oakley, after whom she is named, from New York City comes to visit indefinitely. He is exactly the tonic she needs at the moment; the two have always had a special affinity for each other. Her joy at his visit changes when she learns from detectives that he's a suspect in a series of murders. Uncle Charlie being a murderer would provide some explanation for his rather odd behavior since his arrival in town. As young Charlie begins her own investigation, she must decide based on what she knows about his guilt or innocence, whether blood really is thicker than water, especially as she's attracted to one of the detectives, Jack Graham--and it's mutual. But if Uncle Charlie is the murderer, her life could be threatened.—Huggo