--Portland, Maine--

Unable to awaken her father--eminent geologist, Ted Gabbro--nine-year-old Arielle approaches the vacationing Joe Burgess, desperate for his help.

Loathe to let anything interfere with his much needed rest on the mountains of western Maine, Joe can't ignore the girl's plea for help and can't deny that something is very wrong.

As the frightened girl's father languishes in a coma and her mother can't be found, Burgess finds himself in a tangle of land disputes, family politics, the child's parents' nasty divorce, and the powerful greed that accompanies gold fever.

Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction

Flora pours on the intensity in this criminal, legal and moral maze. Kirkus Reviews

Flora writes cops so convincingly it's hard to imagine she's never worn the badge herself. Bruce Robert Coffin, author of Among the Shadows

THE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIES
Playing God
The Angel of Knowlton Park
Redemption
And Grant You Peace
Led Astray
A Child Shall Lead Them
A World of Deceit