Ella Graepenteck's sleuthing skills have so impressed Detective Cormac Roth that he recommends her to a colleague in charge of a high profile murder case. The victim's family secrets are the key to finding the killer, but they are frustratingly difficult to unearth. Ella needs her genealogy expertise and all the resourcefulness she can muster to uncover the truth. She also faces new challenges outside of work, because her relationship with Detective Roth is no longer purely professional.

The case concerns a body found at the downtown tourist hotspot of Olvera Street, and the victim turns out to be one of three sisters who used to be a famous singing group. All Ella has to go on is a vaguely threatening note that was found in the young woman's pocket. While she is digging up the family's history, the pool of suspects and the list of possible motives keep growing.

As she sifts through this morass of information, Ella keeps being distracted by the fact that one of her most cherished possessions has disappeared. If she uses her abilities wisely, she could enhance her professional reputation, improve her social life, and find what she has lost. With a little help from relatives, friends, colleagues, and even suspects, she just might be able to figure out how all the pieces fit in all the puzzles.