Spenser almost gets himself killed trying to help out friends when he agrees to check out the reasons why Robinson Nevins was denied tenure at the university, while also attempting to come to the aid of K. C. Roth, a stalking victim who finds Spenser very much to her liking.

Spenser heads to Potshot, Arizona when he is hired to investigate the murder of a recent L.A. transplant. The once rough and tumble small town has been transformed by the wealthy Los Angeles residents looking for a quiet place to relax. The peace is threatened when a gang starts harassing the town, and it soon escalates into murder.

Spenser, a Boston private investigator, agrees to help local lawyer Elizabeth Shaw track down a man who has been blackmailing and murdering the wives of Elizabeth's wealthy clients, but as the case becomes increasingly complicated, Spenser fears he may be in over his head.