If restaurant ownership has taught Whitney Monroe anything, it is ferocity even amid threats from corrupt local officials set on driving her out of town. With her current investments at risk, she returns to the Excelsior, a crumbling hotel that holds her grandmother's treasures from an era of wealth and propriety. While digging through these objects, Whitney unwittingly stumbles into a gripping family mystery. As she reads through a series of old letters and contemplates an intriguing necklace, Whitney struggles against her need for quick money and becomes determined to preserve, at any cost, the belongings and story she has found. Set in North Carolina's picturesque Outer Banks, Wingate's ("The Story Keeper," 2014) tale of a dark family history becomes an intriguing patchwork of mystery and drama. Readers will feel revitalized as they journey with Whitney through her past as she grows more connected to her heritage and discovers who she really is.--Booklist