Professor Dia Fenner is on a sabbatical leave at Duke University studying the best way for retirees to invest their money. There's a personal reason for her work - her mother Ava was fleeced of her retirement savings by an unscrupulous financial adviser. But someone wants to stop Dia - first by stealing her data and then by threatening her life. But who's the culprit - the New York bank CEO, the politically ambitious State Treasurer, the leader of the state's financial advisers, or maybe her new boyfriend? With the help of two bright and loyal Duke students, Dia vows to trap the crook and finish her research. But is too much at stake for her to succeed? Readers will find the answers at the same time they learn about the ins and outs of the investment world.