Restaurant owner Pearl Nolan discovers the body of her friend and oyster supplier chained to the anchor of his ship. The police, led by out-of-towner Chief Inspector Mike McGuire, believe it was an accident, but Pearl, who also runs a private detective agency, suspects foul play.
Working with local cop DS Nikki Martel, Mike investigates the death of a diabetic estate agent force-fed marmalade. When a woman hires Pearl to look into a large sum of cash left in her mailbox, Pearl discovers Whitstable may have a mysterious benefactor-but are they connected to the murder?
When a retired policeman is murdered during a Civil War reenactment, McGuire initially focuses on widow Heidi. But between the dead man's three mistresses and a 35-year long feud with his brother, things soon become a lot more complicated.
When young widow Christina receives an anonymous note claiming her husband did not commit suicide seven years earlier she hires Pearl to investigate. Pearl's efforts lead her to the man's emotionally fragile parents, a local church run by a very creepy minister and a derelict former children's home. Meanwhile, Detective McGuire's depression threatens to overwhelm him.
When a mother takes her daughter out for a boat ride despite the father's wishes, the boat starts taking on water and the two need to be rescued. Was it an accident, or were they targeted? Pearl investigates while Mike tries to enjoy his time off from police duty in the days before New Year's Eve.
A 30-year-old skeleton washes up on the shore, and the victim has a very personal connection to Pearl. Pearl's budding romance with Mike is threatened when he identifies a suspect close to home.
An ex-soldier is believed to have kidnapped his son while visiting France, where the boy lives with his mother. Pearl (Kerry Godliman, After Life, Trigger Point) and Mike team up to try and find the missing boy.
Mike has broken his ankle and, laid up at home, begins to be disturbed by a man in a flat opposite who has violent night terrors. Mike becomes convinced that the night terrors are a cover for him planning to murder his wife. The police find no evidence to support this, so Mike hires Pearl to investigate further. She discovers a body, but it's not the person she and Mike were expecting.
After inheriting a beloved local pub from her mother, Molly Stratton puts it up for sale to the highest bidder, rather than selling it back to the community. She turns to Pearl for help to deal with the anonymous threats she's been receiving--including a dead seagull on her doorstep. When the pub is sold, the situation takes an even darker turn.
When 1970s movie icon Zelda St John changes her will, leaving her fortune to her housekeeper, Natalia, the young woman seeks out Pearl, fearing that Zelda's family might hurt her. Not long afterward, Zelda is found unconscious at her home, attacked with a croquet mallet, and Natalia disappears. Clashing over who they believe is responsible, Mike and Pearl lead separate investigations.
Mysterious happenings at Dolly's (shower left running, smoke alarms going off, money missing) has Pearl worried about her mother's state of mind. Meanwhile a burglary has Mike determined not to involve Pearl at any cost.
Pearl is missing Charlie. Mike is missing Pearl, but a death at a wedding brings them together as Pearl is a witness to family rivalry, angry ex-girlfriends and lies.
