In the first Teddy Thurber mystery, English teacher Theodora “Teddy” Thurber seeks answers after the murder of one of her former students. The victim, Jessica Halliday, had been one of Teddy’s most promising pupils before she graduated from St. James High School, and her sudden death by strangulation upsets the entire school community. What sets Teddy apart as an amateur sleuth is her love of literature. Jessica has seemingly left behind clues related to books that Teddy teaches, specifically Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE. While Teddy seeks answers in Jessica’s murder, she is teaching CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, and in Dostoevsky’s great work, as well as in Ibsen’s classic play, she finds truths that enable her to solve the mystery.