The series airs on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel in the United States and on the W Network in Canada.
Amy Winslow is a professor of English literature at Elmstead College, in the (fictional) small coastal town of Garrison, Washington.
In the first film, a case involving a student at Elmstead has Amy consulting for Travis Burke, a "big city" police detective who has recently moved to Garrison.
As crimes unfold in the area, Amy inserts herself into Burke's investigations, often against his wishes; the two develop an increasingly strong friendship, eventually moving to first kiss at the end of the sixth film.
In the first three films, Burke is also assisted by Claire Tate, a rookie detective who is the daughter of Garrison's police chief.