It is high summer and the Southwest is tinderbox dry when Neil is approached by the parents of Joni Barker, a "hotshot" (as wildland firefighters are known) who was killed in a highly publicized blaze that threatened several expensive homes. Joni's parents suspect the Forest Service's negligence to be the cause of their daughter's death - not Joni's negligence, as the Forest Service claims. Neil, herself no stranger to government subterfuge, sets out to prove the Barker's suspicions. As she investigates Joni's death, she is drawn into the rarefied, mythic world of hotshots and the fierce battles that smolder around their work. Should we protect private property threatened by fires (rather than discourage people from building pricey homes in natural firetraps)? Should we even try to prevent forest fires? Neil discovers that there are many who will fight to the death over such questions - and at least one who has used fire to kill someone seeking answers. As Neil immerses herself in these deadly struggles, she also grapples with less incendiary but no less fascinating events in her personal life. She is finally settling down, buying a house in Albuquerque, and moving in with her youthful Hispanic boyfriend, the Kid. She also comes to terms with early hints of her own mortality as a close brush with fiery death makes her realize she can't live forever on smart remarks, righteous indignation, Jell-O shots, and cigarettes.

Genre: Mystery