Research scientist and amateur sleuth Robyn Devara is looking forward to a trip to the Yukon with her boyfriend, Kelt Roberson, when he tells about the bloody murder of a reclusive ptarmigan researcher. Robyn can't ignore a mystery and her curiosity is further piqued when she learns field notes have been left to her by the victim--an ornithologist named Selena Barry--a woman Robyn doesn't remember meeting.
The notes reveal the ptarmigan might be on the verge of ecological disaster. Robyn discovers Barry was investigating a possible connection between the meek ground birds and an abandoned gold mine. While chasing down the mystery, Robyn encounters a flock of suitable suspects--Selena's lover, Willa, a talented but skittish artist given to jealous outbursts; Ed, an Australian geologist with a keen interest in gemstones; Jocelyn, the overtly mothering owner of the Willow Creek and Wilderness Retreat--and wonders: who could have killed the scientist?
At the isolated research camp Robyn pieces together the mystery, all the while wondering if the killer will strike again.
