Something fishy is going on in Galveston, Texas and reporter Sydney Lockhart finds herself smack dab in the middle of it when she checks into the historic Galvez Hotel; a place which, for her, holds disturbing memories. Eighteen years earlier she had discovered her grandfather, the doorman, murdered in the foyer. Her editor at the Austin American had assigned Sydney to cover the controversial Pelican Island Development Project conference at the Galvez. The nightmare of her grandfather’s demise resurfaces soon as soon as she arrives. And just down the street from the hotel another nightmare is in progress. Her parents’ anniversary celebration is only days away and nothing is going right. Sydney calls cousin Ruth for help with planning the party, while she delves into the weird goings-on at the hotel. Her plan is to attend the conference, get her story, and then show up at her parents’ house to make sure the festivities go off without a hitch. But the conference is cancelled before it gets started. The keynote speaker, Maurice Roland, is missing; and hours later his body is found in the trunk of Sydney’s car. She goes to the police station to give a statement and meets the detective who is assigned to the case—and who was a young cop at the time of her grandfather’s murder. More bad memories arise. The next morning, the police make an arrest that puts the entire Lockhart clan down at the station. Sydney’s father “confesses” to Roland’s murder and now she suspects that her grandfather’s unsolved case is somehow connected. But ascertaining that connection is not easy. Her father, freshly released from jail and in big trouble for making a false confession, knows more than he’s telling.