A rural New Zealand vacation turns poisonous.

For third time, antiquities assessor Annalisse Drury has turned down a marriage proposal from handsome Alec Zavos - and, once again, it's not because Annalisse isn't desperate for them to spend the rest of their lives together.

Her refusal is over an issue that would tear any relationship apart. Virena, one of Alec's many ex-girlfriends, has reappeared with a nine-year-old boy she claims is Alec's forgotten son - and to Annalisse's shock and frustration, Alec has reasons to refuse a paternity test to prove or disprove Virena's claim.

Taking a break from the situation, Annalisse accepts an invitation to visit a rural sheep farm deep in the emerald hills of New Zealand - literally the other side of the world from the drama of Annalisse's life in New York.

But the intrigue Annalisse tries to escape soon follows her to the idyllic cottage retreat.

Overprotective Alec sends their mutual friend Detective Bill Drake to watch over Annalisse while she's in New Zealand. Soon after, a local resident who accompanies them from Christchurch Airport dies under mysterious circumstances. When a second violent death occurs, the game is truly afoot - and Annalisse and Bill soon find themselves at odds with local law enforcement as their investigation unearths the first of this small town's many dirty secrets.

As she and Bill pursue their individual leads in the developing mysteries, Annalisse is forced to confront not just the brutal truth about small town politics and family ties that led to murder; but also, how they echo the New York drama she's frantically trying to escape. Can Annalisse and Alec save their relationship?

Copper Waters is the fourth installment of Marlene M. Bell's thrilling Annalisse series - an intriguing cottage mystery that fans of Kathy Reichs and Dan Brown will absolutely love.