It's autumn in Bakersfield and the big mystery is how many birthday candles to put on the cake of the town's favorite puzzle lady. But while her long-suffering niece Sherry Carter helps plan the big event, Cora is more interested in landing a case filled with sex, scandal, and mayhem. She gets her wish when Sherry's old rival, attorney Becky Baldwin, asks Cora to look into a murder that is not only two decades old - but already solved.Darryl Daigue is serving a life sentence for one of the most heinous crimes in Bakersfield history. And after a jailhouse interview with the utterly repulsive Daigue, Cora understands why no one doubts he killed young Anita Dryer. But as much as she'd like to believe they'd caught the right man, Cora has to admit Daigue's story leaves room for reasonable doubt ... and could point to the real killer.Enlisting a reluctant Sherry's help, Cora delves into a case as mystifying as the ominous crosswords that start arriving in her daily e-mail. And when her #1 suspect turns up dead and another corpse quickly follows, Cora is convinced that it's no coincidence but a chilling clue that spells murder any way you look at it.No one in Bakersfield wants Cora to prove Darryl Daigue innocent, but someone is willing to kill - and keep killing - to stop her from solving this murderous conundrum. Can Sherry keep her feisty aunt alive to see her next birthday? Read Less