Heidi Bradshaw is wealthy, beautiful, and well connected. She's also a notorious gold digger only recently separated from her latest husband - and she's just hired Spenser as a stand-in spouse for her daughter's wedding. It's not his usual kind of assignment, but Spenser has no reservations about accepting, especially after ensuring that his beloved Susan Silverman is also on the guest list. It should be a straightforward job: look after the mother of the bride, enjoy a few drinks and most importantly, spend some quality time with Susan. But then Spenser's old nemesis Rugar - the Gray Man - arrives. A storm, a kidnapping, and a series of murders tear apart what should be a joyous occasion, and Rugar is seemingly at the centre of it all. The only thing is that the perpetrator's apparent sloppiness is not Rugar's style, as Spenser knows from past encounters. With six dead bodies and more questions than he can handle, Spenser begins a search for answers - and the Gray Man.