There's something prickly going on in the town of Thorny End, and as Hermux Tantamoq is about to discover, it's not just the roses. When rose magnate Androse deRosenquil asks him to take on an intriguing missing squirrel case, Hermux can't say no--and before he knows it, he's caught up in a mystery involving mutant bees, a rose fragrance rivalry starring cosmetics tycoon Tucka Mertslin, and strange incidents taking place on an uninhabited island with a troubled past.

With the help of his fiancée, aviatrix Linka Perflinger, talented pet ladybug, Terfle, and a rebellious teenage squirrel named Twigg, Hermux must uncover what's really happening on the island, find the missing squirrel and save the day--and deRosenquil's roses-- without getting stung in the process.