Erik and his friends spend all their time on the water, exploring the shoreline and islands off British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.
While they all have experience with boats and the outdoors, the unpredictable weather and fickle seas often manage to test their courage and abilities. While exploring a burned-out homestead on a remote island, the teens find themselves involved in a decades-old crime and realize that danger still lurks in the coastal rainforest. After befriending Gary, a retired logger who lives alone, Erik and the others learn of the death of Gary's aunt and uncle in a suspicious fire years before. They are then shocked to find they have aroused the interest of a shadowy stranger who seems to have designs on Gary's home and boat, and perhaps, most terrifyingly, his life. Frantically trying to unravel the web of secrets, the teenagers are in a race to save Gary and ultimately themselves.
"Author Jo Hammond excels at evoking life on the waters off the Sunshine Coast. The adventures of Erik, a student, log salvor and solver of mysteries, will appeal to young male readers who relish adventures on the water... Recommended."