Emma Diamond lost her husband, Baxter, six months ago in a car accident on the gulf freeway. She moves into a house with her two cats, Olaf and Hilda, next door to her best friend, Sophie Parker.

As her new neighbors drop in one by one to welcome her to the neighborhood, Emma wonders what shark infested waters she’s jumped into. The worst of the worst is Janet McGreevey, who is the president of the Homeowners Association and a gigantic pain in the posterior the majority of the time.

Emma joins the neighborhood Wednesday evening bridge game, being held this week at the home of Janet McGreevey. Things are going pretty well until Janet clutches her throat, collapses and dies. Turns out Janet was severely allergic to peanuts and it’s soon discovered someone put crushed peanuts in the spinach dip Janet so loved.

When Emma was a gawky teenager, her dream was to become a detective like all those girl sleuths who seemed so glamourous and exciting. Now she finds herself, along with Sophie and Marylou (another neighbor), pulling together all the pieces to this most interesting puzzle - most of them obtained over the bridge table - and helping the police to investigate Janet's untimely and not so accidental death.