FIRST SIGN OF DANGER

Even the birth of their child can’t slow down Haven’s Rock’s sheriff and his detective wife.

While walking in the woods outside their off-the-radar community together with their 6-month-old daughter in tow, Casey Butler and Eric Dalton meet Blake and Gretchen—two hikers from Whitehorse who’ve come to enjoy the beauty of the Yukon wilderness. Blake is in pain from an ankle he twisted in a fall, but they’re reluctant to cut their adventure short. So after first-aid-trained Casey makes a cursory examination of Blake’s injury, he and Gretchen announce their plans to soldier on and camp that night in a spot Casey recommends. Casey and Eric have their doubts about the couple’s story, since few hikers are bold enough to test the isolated Yukon stretch where they’ve established Haven’s Rock, a sanctuary for people who are in so much trouble that they need to vanish from the face of the earth. On the way home, they discuss the hikers, wondering whether they might be spies from Rockton, an earlier off-the-grid sanctuary settlement, or from the nearby mining camp. The next day they return to the trail where they met the hikers and discover Blake’s body. But Gretchen is nowhere to be found. Did she kill her husband? Or is she in danger from whomever did? As Haven’s Rock’s only detective, it falls to Casey to crack this case. Not to worry, though: The offbeat and multitalented residents have her back, taking turns watching her daughter while she makes increasingly dangerous forays into the wilderness in search of answers.

The latest from Haven’s Rock boasts quirky characters, outdoor adventure, and a knotty puzzle neatly wound up.