Bea Fletcher has always been a true-crime enthusiast like her great-aunt Jessica, the famous mystery writer. And like Jess, Bea is obsessed with unsolved murders in her small town of Cabot Cove, Maine. But when her estranged best friend Jackson goes missing just as they are about to reconcile, it looks like this time the mystery is personal.
Instead of finding Jackson at their prearranged meeting spot, Bea stumbles upon three students from the elite Broadmoor Academy: overly-friendly and slightly vicious Leisl, her aloof twin brother Leif, and Carlos who knows more about Jackson than he's letting on. Not only are they more worldly -- and more secretive -- than anyone Bea knows at Cabot Cove High, the trio is big on playing games. Head games, Bea soon learns, like prying into her history, Jackson's mental health, and a string of teens who've disappeared without a trace. But also games like tenace, the hush-hush Broadmoor tradition where anything or anyone can be a clue to future fame and fortune, and players will stop at nothing -- including murder -- to get ahead.
Then one of the missing teens turns up dead, and if Bea wants to find Jackson before he becomes another body, she too must join the game and play to win. Everyone in Cabot Cove has secrets, and it's up to Bea to ferret them out and find the killer before it's too late in this thrilling modern update of the classic television show.