Galway is a lanky attorney-turned-handyman, desirous of being truly good at his new work. Letitia is a childless widow – petite, bowed, and fearless. Letitia remembers a day when fellow student, Harold Wilson, climbed from an upstairs classroom window down a drainpipe. He was so nimble. That was grand. she tells Galway. Just Grand.

Now Harold Wilson has been found dead in his storm cellar and Letitia can’t let it go.

Separated by more than a generation, Galway Evans and Letitia Dunbar share a sharp analytical ability, a love of people and kindness, and a deep respect and fondness for each other. They also share the corner of a Missouri small-town neighborhood, where mystery always finds them. In Strains of Long Ago, an unusual death entangles the two in a tale of love, music, and guilt.