Claire Reynier is thrilled when her old friend Burke Lovell donates his collection of valuable books to the university where she works as a librarian. But the morning after she arrives at his ranch in the remote region known as "the Blue" to collect the bequest, Burke is found dead. His daughter Mariah--recently discovered--admits to helping the ailing man commit suicide. Mariah has also been named his principal heir, much to the shock of his other children. Upon Claire's return to work, a box of valuable titles from Burke's collection is stolen, and Claire realizes that the theft may hold clues to a much more sinister mystery…