After solving an infamous murder and nearly getting herself killed, single mom Lila Shaw wants nothing more than to settle into a quiet life in the splendid Primrose apartments with her daughter, Bea. She’s focused on launching a successful private investigation agency, tolerating her well-meaning but meddling neighbors, and finding time for the boyfriend Bea still hasn’t met.

Lila comes up with a solution to make her daughter happy and establish her own place in Richmond society—getting Bea into Stratford Academy, the most exclusive private school in the city.

Uncovering a dead body during the school tour is not part of the admissions plan, but that’s exactly what happens. When the police come up short in their investigation and the school’s board pushes for answers, the Stratford headmaster convinces Lila and her partners, Jasper and Evelyn, to take on the case. He promises that if they solve the murder, Bea will get a full scholarship.

There’s no shortage of suspects in the world of high-stakes elite education. Lila launches an investigation that challenges her own views about success and just how far she’ll go for her perfect life. And as she uncovers the many secrets hidden behind the ivy-covered walls of Stratford Academy, she risks putting herself and those she loves in the path of a killer.