"On the eve of the heated presidential election of 1892, Miss Hattie Davish arrives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a scenic resort town where those without the scent of whiskey on their breath have the plight of temperance on their tongues. Summoned for her services as a private secretary, Hattie is looking forward to exploring the hills, indulging her penchant for botany-and getting to know the town's handsome doctor. But it's hard to get her job done...

In 1919, seventeen-year-old Hattie leaves the Montana prairie--and her sweetheart Charlie--to become a female reporter in San Francisco.

"Traveling secretary Hattie Davish is returning to her once-quiet hometown, where a deluge of deadly secrets leaves her feeling anything but welcome"--

Hattie is in her element, digging through dusty basements, attics, and abandoned buildings, not to be denied until she fishes out that elusive fact. But her delightful explorations are dampened when she witnesses a carriage crash into a carp pond beneath the shadow of the Washington Monument. Alarmingly, one of the passengers flees the scene, leaving the other to drown. The incident only heightens tensions brought on by the much publicized arrival...

Fenway's life is pretty great, except for the strange stripey chipmunks that have suddenly appeared in the Dog Park behind his house. He's determined to catch them, but one of their hiding places contains some stinging insects. Ouch! Fenway thinks he can take care of this injury himself, but his humans don't let him. They take him to the Place of Fear and then Hattie doesn't even help him take off the Cone of Doom!