Sixteen-year-old Elaine Drake knows everything about her future: she'll establish a private eye practice, solve plenty of cases, and be the world's best detective. From scaling the Great Wall of China to infiltrating a motorcycle gang by masquerading as a boy, she's seen and done more than most people would in their entire lives. But when a plea from her aunt and uncle brings her back to the place she first solved a murder--suburban Carlington--Elaine is forced to evaluate her past actions and how they affected the people of Carlington, all the while attempting to solve a seemingly hopeless case of random crimes. Only the crimes aren't so random, she begins to realize with fellow detective Aragon Adams. As the walls of her upstanding career begin to crumble, Elaine must decide what's worth more--saving her career or bringing criminals to justice, even if it means revealing her own past mistakes that could, and will, jeopardize her bow-wrapped future.