Macey Spade is having the worst September of her life. Rumors are circulating that the local cemetery is haunted by a specter of the undead, a wicked creature who glides through the darkness and preys on rabbits, foxes, and people. Macey knows this is all rubbish. But when she and her pooch, Mugsy, set out to prove there are no vampires in Whaler’s Bay Cemetery, she finds herself at odds with a fellow investigator who suspects her of vandalism—and a frightened mob of concerned moms who think she’s engaging in dark magic.

Macey’s friend Christabel, meanwhile, has taken on a role in a community theater production alongside the legendary stage actor Maxim Hale. A gruff Welshman with an angelic voice, Max is famed for his temper, his drinking habits, and his tempestuous relationship with his wife, Amber. With the popularity of local theater in permanent decline, Max has secretly embraced a second profession—illegally breeding dogs in the underground “puppy mills”. Max hates this job but can’t resist the lure of an industry that brings in $11 billion annually, leaving a small number of people extremely rich. When Max himself is murdered, however—found dead in Whaler’s Bay Cemetery with mysterious marks on his wrists—Macey’s own life rapidly unravels. She herself is now suspected of the crime, and it will take all her considerable cunning to catch the real culprit and prove her own innocence.