The Blue Spruce coffee shop in the heart of Myrtle Lake retirement village does a bang-up business all day long, keeping barista Charlie and owner/grandmother Carla on their toes. Local eccentrics like a former Broadway dancer, a famous landscape painter, a dotty psychic, and a mischievous sea captain pop in to share tall tales and ribald jokes, much to the delight of their over-caffeinated neighbors.

But this happy crew gets the shock of their lives when Fritz Caulfield, a lovely man and horrible sculptor, drowns in the village’s pristine pool and 24-year-old Charlie’s accused of his murder.

Carla rallies her troops, including studly retired NYPD detective Saylor Reeves, to clear her granddaughter’s name. The small-but-determined pack outpaces the local Sheriff to discover a parcel of suspects including a grouchy groomer, an angry art teacher, and an uppity upholsterer.

But no leads let Charlie off the hook. They need a breakthrough right now.

Just as the long arms of the law stretch toward the coffee shop, a bizarre clue sheds new light on the case. Could a pair of vintage toys spring Charlie from the hoosegow?

Meanwhile, the more fanciful villagers see phantom lights dancing in the woods east of Myrtle Lake, and a creeping sense of unease permeates the crisp autumn air.

Can Carla, Saylor, and their wacky senior sleuths save Charlie and protect the town from an invading ghost army?

All in a day’s work for these unshakeable elders. After decades on the planet, it will take more than murder, menace, and mystery to scare this gang away.