The verdant lushness of Vancouver Island is not without its dangers... Summer on Vancouver Island gets off to a rocky start with the discovery of the body of a homeless man. RCMP Corporal Holly Martin notices drug paraphernalia nearby, and the autopsy reveals death from a combination of heroin and a synthetic opiate. Information leads Holly to believe that he had hidden something of value at the site of his death. As Holly struggles to connect the dots, a record drought heats up the vacation paradise, and one match could send Canada''s Caribbean into flames.

Lou Allin sings two national anthems, having born in Toronto but raised in Ohio. She recently relocated to Sooke, British Columbia. After obtaining a Ph.D. in English Renaissance literature, Lou taught literature, writing and public speaking for 23 years at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario. Northern Winters Are Murder, her first Belle Palmer mystery, was released in the fall of 2000. It was followed by Blackflies Are Murder, which was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel. While discovering the delights of the outdoors in her new home on Vancouver Island, Lou created a new west coast mystery series, the Holly Martin mysteries.