Survival Can Be Deadly

Description

Can a discount P.I. rescue a naïve runaway girl from a nefarious survivalist cult? Penny-wise Investigations, “Vigilance you can afford,” is a detective agency conveniently located in a suburban shopping mall. Single mom and recent widow, Cameron Chandler, desperately needs a job. She quickly discovers that her new PhD in liberal arts doesn’t open any doors. When she impulsively applies for and lands a position as a private investigator, she’s both surprised and delighted. To her, it’s not only a paycheck but a job with a sparkle of excitement. It’s a chance to reinvent herself.

Survival Can Be Deadly is a lighthearted mystery/adventure set in Seattle and the San Juan Islands to the north. It is also the story of a woman’s struggle to find new direction after the death of her husband and a lengthy period of unemployment. Cameron’s strong, opinionated mother lives in the top floor apartment of the carriage house she and her two children call home. Her 11-year-old son is a news junkie, and her 13-year-old daughter loves math and agonizes over the shape of her eyebrows. Cameron’s attempts to keep peace with her mother while being a good mother to her own children provides a humorous counterpoint to the very real and unexpected risks she faces in her new job.

Her first assignment at Penny-wise is to locate a runaway girl, something her predecessor had been pursuing before he disappeared. Following in his footsteps, the trail leads to a survivalist camp on a remote island in northern Puget Sound. Armed with only a Swiss Army Knife and her quirky on-the-job training as a suburban sleuth, Cameron uncovers more than she bargained for. She soon finds herself in a fight for her own survival.