When a ghost ship is spotted on the horizon one spring evening, bookseller Eleanor Mace decides to investigate the myths and legends of Combemouth, the Devon seaside town where she runs The Reading Room. As Eleanor digs deeper into the town's history, she becomes intrigued by a Victorian crime report that seems to have unexpected links to the present day.

As Eleanor begins to uncover the truth she has an unexpected challenge on her own horizon. Daniel - her husband of six months - is determined that they give up their separate homes and find a new place together. But Eleanor adores her cottage by the sea and resists, guaranteeing that things turn a little frosty as the summer begins.

A celebrity book launch, an exploding dress and some salsa-dancing pensioners make this a mystery with a difference.