Peter Bowen

Ash Child Peter Bowen

Crystal meth, brushfires, and a murderer on the loose threaten Du Pré's tranquil Montana town.

Drought has come to Toussaint, Montana, and appendicitis has stricken the Mtis Indian tracker and investigator Gabriel Du Pré. His appendix is bad enough, but what really hurts is being trapped in the hospital when he learns that Maddy Collins has been killed. As far as Du Pré knows, no one in town had cause to dislike the harmless old coot, much less bash her head in with a cast-iron hatchet. When the doctors release him, he goes looking for answers.

Du Pré suspects a pair of boys who, despite their good upbringing, have fallen in with a gang of meth dealers. Not long after the murder, they vanish. As the town is threatened by a forest fire, he hunts for the two young men, not knowing whether they are alive or dead. When the inferno reaches Toussaint, no one will be safe.