Dead Calm

A retired spy, a nerdy city-slicker, a slothful pug, and a tractor full of secrets . . . It's summertime on Lake Ontario's Beaver Island, and there's trouble on the horizon. When a remote-controlled tractor goes berserk at the ground-breaking for a new condo development—toppling some magnificent cupcakes in the process—retired spy Irma Abercrombie's finely-honed paranoia goes into overdrive. And after a beloved local is murdered, she and nerdy houseguest Violet Blackheart are drawn into another island intrigue. As Violet's vacation steams ahead, she works on reverse-engineering a tractor hack and toys with learning how to conquer her fear of boating, while Irma flirts with the idea of getting closer to a dangerous ex-nemesis. Hoping to help her struggling company's bottom line, Violet enters a charity poker tournament on a superyacht—but she might have signed up for more than she bargained on. And will Irma have to become a stowaway if she can't get her hands on an invite of her own? With the help of her trusty canine sidekick, Mr. Pugglesworth, and intrepid (but nauseous) nerd, Violet Blackheart, retired intelligence agent Irma Abercrombie sets out to find a killer. Irma's trying to conquer the world. Violet's just trying to conquer her vertigo.