It's Halloween, and cafe owner Maggie Miller's special pumpkin spice beignet promotion is proving popular. But the evening ends in disaster when Maggie discovers the body of one of her regular customers, strangled to death with an expensive cashmere scarf.

The late Nancy Alverson had tended to keep herself to herself - but what secrets was she hiding? And why had she been studying books on witchcraft?

Of one thing Maggie is certain, it was no witch who killed Nancy. But has someone taken advantage of the spookiest night of the year to commit a brutal murder . . .?