The stage is set at Castleton Manor, the elegant mansion in Lighthouse Bay,Massachusetts, for a retreat honoring American literature form the nineteenth century. Librarian Faith Newberry eagerly anticipates the event. But she is concerned when she witnesses a tense conversation between an accomplished Mark Twain impressionist and a horse-loving scholar of Bret Harte. The men struggle to bridle their contempt and Faith marvels at how their conflict mirrors the one between the two famous writers they admire. Faith's concern turns to alarm when one of the guests drop dead.the sudden death is ruled a murder, and Faith and her friends in the Candle House Book Club take the reins on their own investigation, uncovering bitter rivalries and surprising secrets. When they encounter a mysterious stranger at the stables, they're spurred on to continue their search. Faith is saddled with a dangerous secret when she makes a shocking discovery. Will she and her friends -and her clever cat, Watson,-identify the murderer before tragedy strikes again? Or will the culprit remain elusive like a needle in a haystack?-From dust jacket