J.W. tracks Tom down and learns that he has some unpaid gambling debts and a big wheel on the mainland is looking to collect. Tom came to J.W. for help,, not only because of his past police connections, but because Tom knows J.W. still cares for Carla and wouldn't want her in harms way.

As J.W. begins to search for a way to help Tom, he learns that the schoolteacher has not been entirely forthcoming and in fact may be mixed up in some seriously nasty business. Torn between wanting to keep all this away from his family and his self-appointed sanctuary and wanting to keep Carla and her new family safe, J.W. tries to reach the truth and a swift peaceful solution to something that is much bigger than a few unpaid gambling debts.

Throughout the course of the series, Jackson has become a fully developed character that readers have watched mellow from a tough street cop to the clam-digging father of two. This entry adds another dimension to his character as readers see Jackson confront his past and perhaps put all of it entirely behind him. Zee is also given a conflict to wrestle with in that she really doesn't like guns, yet loves target shooting and now must face the fact that she shot and killed a man, even though it was a clear case of defending her daughter and herself.

Philip Craig leaves pieces of the puzzle like a trail of breadcrumbs around the island allowing them to be picked up leisurely and fit into place, creating the whole picture in good time. The atmosphere is very homey; Jackson seems to have fit in very well and is enjoying the good life.

Once in a while Jackson does get overly sentimental ("…she [Zee] finally let herself cry and cry, cleaning the windows of her soul."), but he has come into his own in a very enjoyable, dependable series that is a good blend of cozy and police procedural to satisfy anyone.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry