It has been three years since former Kansas City Detective Rick Ryder resigned from the force after winning the biggest lottery jackpot ever; he thought the game was over, however his life is about to get turned upside down. While he is at Arrowhead, being toasted by the royalty of the city, his former childhood sweetheart, and now the wife of the Speaker of the House, Annalisa Warner is found murdered in his sports car at Roaring River State Park. Now he is drawn back into the ‘Game of Murder’ when he returns to his hometown of Cassville, MO to find out who murdered her. The only clue that he has is a secret note that was written by Annalisa that he can’t decode. Helping him with the investigation are his old classmates, and Annalisa’s younger sister, whose hatred for her brother-in-law and her affection for Ryder cause her to turn on her own family in her pursuit of the truth of what happened to her sister. Standing in their way is an F.B.I. Special Agent Isabelle Alexander, who goes by the name Alex, who keeps telling him this case is much more than just murder, but at the same time she is determined to keep the real cause of Annalisa’s murder hidden. As Ryder finds the real cause of her death he is sure he knows who did it, but with each clue there is but another twist and turn that leads to more suspects and secrets, including one secret that ‘once learned he can never unlearn again.