Katharine Murray didn't mind devoting time and attention to Aunt Lucy until the elderly woman died, but now all her possessions have been dumped on Katharine's doorstep and among them are two things Aunt Lucy should not have had. Where would that small history teacher have acquired a priceless Celtic necklace and a diary written in German? And what should Katharine do with them now?  

In her search to answer those questions, Katharine discovers a brother Lucy never mentioned, who was murdered back in 1950 under suspicious circumstances. But that's not the worst she discovers . . . The deeper the digs into Aunt Lucy's genealogy, the more clearly she sees that the roots of Aunt Lucy's family are steeped in murder.