Her trainees have been lucky until the day they get called to the burning home of Tory Lambert, one of the driving forces of Sweet Pepper. Tory was found dead in the basement of the ruined home. Certain circumstances lead Stella to believe that Tory was killed and the fire set to hide the fact.

Tory had always been afraid of fire since her first husband died in a fire. She was always convinced it was murder. Just before her own death, Tory had asked Stella to look into that death. With two suspicious fires, Stella has a lot to investigate.

When attempts are made on her life, Stella must turn to the only being that gives her any encouragement. Eric Gamblyn was the first fire chief in Sweet Pepper. He died in a building collapse 40 years ago and he has haunted the cabin and the fire station he built ever since.

Stella must overcome her own fears and disbelief that she is sharing a cabin with a ghost before she can ask for the help she needs in trying to find out about the past. What she learns will put her in danger as she gets closer to the truth.

The writing of this first book in the series was so polished and the story so complex that it was hard to believe that this author had never been published before. Imagine my delight when I read the copyright page and learned that Joyce and Jim Levene have added another name to the list they publish under.

Stella is a strong gritty character who isn't afraid to fight for what she believes in. She won't let the efforts of everyone in town stop her from discovering the truth of what happened to Tory. The whole town focuses on their Sweet Pepper festival and Stella won't let her duties for that interfere either.

A fascinating small town with lots of secrets to keep hidden forms the backdrop to this intricately plotted story. Even after solving the murder, it is clear there will be more to come. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Book Summary