If you haven't read the other books in this series, go back and read them. This book starts where that one left off.
In the last book Harlow's slip caused her to see clips of the past as she works to solve the murder of the skeletons they found. In those are clues to something, she just doesn't quite know what.
This book opens with a series of fires. Starting with a warehouse, then a vacant rental home and now this one. Unfortunately, in this latest fire the occupant died of smoke inhalation so if it was indeed arson, then it's also murder. With her history with fire Harlow doesn't want to report on a fire especially if it's possibly arson.
She's also waiting for Jack to return from cleaning up his affairs in Canada, that's taken longer than he expected.
She gets a bit of a heads up from Sheriff Hardy about the arson special investigator, who's coming to town. Apparently, he's connected her to the fire in her apartment building (attributed to faulty wiring) that caused her to come back to Harlot Bay and the subsequent fire in the house on the Torrent property that had the family moving back into the main mansion. We can't forget that fire from the first book when a kettle on a stove started the fire in Zero Storm's rental, after she had been there. Oh, and let's not forget the fireworks explosion and fire the first night with guests at the newly opened Torrent Mansion Bed and Breakfast. That one had some interesting consequences for Harlow.
In an interesting turn of events, real-estate agent and developer, Dominic Gresso, stops by wanting to buy the mansion. Mentioning that April Torrent is the owner of record, and he can't find her to talk to. That brings up hackles on Aunt Cass as she swiftly gets rid of him. April is Cass's sister and Harlow's grandmother who is frozen in time in the basement. No one know when she will awaken, they are just confident she will one day.
You'd think that would be enough for an opening, but it goes one step further. In an unexpected move, Hattie Stern drops off her granddaughter Kira to be trained by Aunt Cass. Like Harlow and Cass, Kira is a slip witch and there's concern that the fires may have been caused by her slipping. Aunt Cass is also having Harlow get involved.
Of course, nothing is going to be simple about any of this.
Their participation in the pirate's parade is key in Jack making quite an appearance. The investigator snoops close to home, and clues lead to more than just the fires.
I love the addition of Kira to these books, she's snarky and fun. Adams as always has me giggling at his antics. Plus, all the new relationships that have formed grow stronger.
I am already reading the next book, as I purchased this as a complete series box set.