A struggling theater company, looking for a fresh start. A washed-up film star, guarding old secrets. A joke-obsessed director, whose penchant for pranks has gone too far. High drama is centerstage once more in the small resort town of Desert Pines.Things have never been better for Dr. Jane McLaren. Her medical practice is thriving, her cafe is running like clockwork, and her relationship with Detective Joe Connor is finally on track.Life takes a dramatic turn after one of Hot Lava Java's baristas disappears the same day a Shakespearean Society comes to set up shop in Desert Pines.When a string of harmless pranks at a Benefit performance of Hamlet turns deadly, Jane and Joe must untangle a Shakespearean web of clues and quotes to catch a killer.A fun and clever small-town mystery, Death Benefit proves that 'all the world's a stage', no matter how hard you try to avoid the spotlight.