Summer at Shady Nook should be peaceful. Mary Louise Gay and her friend Jane have traded city streets for lake breezes and pine trees, settling into the family cottage for what promises to be a lazy vacation. But when a neighboring bungalow burns to the ground, the tranquility shatters. The fire claims the Hunters' home while they're away at a dance, and suspicion immediately falls on Cliff Hunter: insurance fraud, the locals whisper. He's a newcomer, and newcomers always seem to have something to hide.Mary Louise isn't so sure. She sees something in Cliff that the gossiping neighbors miss, and she's determined to prove it. Teaming up with her brother Freckles and Jane, she begins digging into the truth behind the flames, uncovering secrets that the quiet lakeside community would rather keep buried.
