Amy Lynch rustles up a brand-new mystery … and learns that knowledge of local history can be worth its weight in gold. The crime of cattle rustling didn’t die with the old west. It’s alive and well at the Madonna Inn and Ranch in San Luis Obispo, California. The Madonna family isn’t a bit happy about it. Neither is New England Casualty & Indemnity, the company which insures the Madonnas. Insurance investigator Amy Lynch heads west to assess the situation. She becomes acquainted with two of the Madonna cowhands – Gus, who is recently deceased under questionable circumstances and Lance, who is handsome and dashing - and very much alive. Amy learns the ins and outs of cattle ranching, as well as the local legends dating back to the days of the gold rush. The plot thickens rapidly and the body count increases, nearly including Amy herself.