When she accepts this new case, Kinsey Millhone tells herself she'll take a few days off in Nota Lake, California. The widow of sheriff's deputy Tom Newquist has asked her to investigate her husband's death. At $400 a day, Kinsey is ready to hear anything. She inspects the dead man's office, grills the sheriff and his relatives. It's routine. But in Nota Lake, people aren't talkative. It's even as if they've all lost the power of speech. Around Tiny's Tavern, where Tom was seen the night of his death, one name is mentioned, Alfie Toth. Two days to track him down, two months since he died. But while leads are multiplying, witnesses are becoming scarce. Clearly, in Nota Lake, silence is golden... and speech is deadly. For Kinsey, vacation will come later.