In this fifth installment of the award-winning Hadley Carroll Mysteries, Hadley consoles her friend and fellow quilter, Dakota, after the defense attorney is injured and a bystander is killed in front of Dakota's law office in Paducah, Kentucky, the Quilt Capital of the World.



Hadley and her staff at the Paducah Pulse newspaper must report on the murder, but a severe ice storm renders investigation impossible when power lines collapse and cell towers freeze. She hunkers with her friends and staff in the Pulse office after the governor issues a shelter-in-place order.



As the mayor, Hadley has her hands full trying to coordinate rescue efforts, organize building repairs, and oversee debris removal.



Then, a building collapses, a family crisis arises, and additional crimes further frazzle her psyche, forcing Hadley to buck up and rally her troops, determined to convict the perpetrators of multiple crimes—all while planning her wedding.