Fireworks. Founder's Day. Murder.
Loblolly Falls gathers to celebrate Founder's Day and the grand reopening of its town park—complete with a costumed dog parade, movie, and fireworks. But when a runaway dog leads Dixie French and her best friend Miriam to a nearby house, the festivities come to a deadly halt.
The dog’s owner—the town’s grumpiest neighbor—is found dead at the bottom of her stairs. What first appears to be a tragic accident quickly turns into something far more sinister.
With tensions simmering over the park’s expansion, a mayor under scrutiny, and a deputy who’s had enough of amateur sleuths, Dixie and Miriam promise to stay out of trouble.
They fail—spectacularly.
Because in a town full of long memories and hidden grudges, someone had a reason to silence the woman next door… and Dixie is determined to find out who.