When Professor Beth Austin tires of the harsh, Chicago winter, she escapes to the sun and fun of the Royal Aloha hotel in Hawaii. This top-rates resort hotel with its gardens, its Asian art collection, its magnificent beach, and its dedicated, repeat clientele proves irresistible to Beth who has two glorious weeks of freedom between semesters. Hawaii will be the perfect place to prepare for her upcoming seminar on George Eliot'sMiddlemarch.But shortly after her arrival, Beth is confronted with the specter of murder and before she knows it, she and some new friends are neck deep in danger, and the closer they get to the killer, the more dangerous the game becomes.