Aurora Teagarden is continuing her life changes in the fourth volume in the series centering around this small town girl from Lawrencetown, Georgia. Roe is still finalizing her wedding plans as the date she will marry the very wealthy Yankke, Martin Bartell, approaches. Martin wanted to get her something special for her wedding so he arranges to by the Julius House.

Many people would probably want to avoid the house. While it is one of the biggest houses in town and doesn't lack for beauty and comfort, the family who had previously owned it (obviously, the Juluises) disappeared six years earlier. The family was well-liked in the community even as they had only recently moved there. Hope Julius was suffering from cancer, but that did not prevent her from doing everything she could to try and provide a happy home for her husband T.C. and her high school-aged daughter. In fact Hope and T.C. had converted some space over the garage to house her mother so she could help during her daughter's illness. Hope's mother is the only one who didn't mysteriously disappear.

Roe is thrilled with the beauty of her new home and is looking forward to remodeling the interiors, but he has some concerns because the house is so far outside the center of time. When he is contacted by his Vietnam buddy, Shelby Young, he sees an opportunity. Shelby and his wife Angel have fallen on hard times. Martin invites them out to live in the mother-in-law apartment and hires them to help around the house.

At first, this seems like a great idea, but it does start to unravel the fact that Martin's past is still a bit of a mystery to Roe, even as their wedding is approaching. After a talk, she is not sure that she is happier about having the new information, but she does know that she loves him.

She doesn't allow her troubles with Martin to get in the way of trying to sort out what happened to the Julius family. In fact, she probably throws herself more into the hunt to avoid the troubles at home. It leads her into an unfortunate situation that almost costs both Angel and her their lives before the get to the real skeletons in the closet.

I have really come to enjoy these book. Harris has always done a wonderful job of creating interesting characters and setting them in realistic small-town, Southern communities. It makes the reader feel right at home. While I enjoyed the mystery, I do have to say that this book felt a little "jerkier" than earlier volumes in the series. At times it fasts forward through days to connect scenes as the story progresses. There are also fewer chances for Roe to interact with so many of the interesting citizens of Lawrencetown. It did mean that I didn't like this one quite as much.