In modern-day Montana, brushfires, meth dealers, and murder challenge a deputy in a mystery that’s a pleasure to read (Publishers Weekly).

In the midst of a drought in Toussaint, Montana, Metis Indian tracker and cattle investigator Gabriel Du Pre learns that Maddy Collins has been killed-and goes looking for answers.

Du Pre suspects a pair of boys who, despite their good upbringing, have fallen in with a gang of crystal meth dealers. Not long after the murder, they vanish. As the town is threatened by a forest fire, Du Pre puts his own life at risk to hunt for the two young men, not knowing whether they’re alive or dead. But if the inferno reaches Toussaint, no one will be safe.

Ash Child is the 9th book in The Montana Mysteries Featuring Gabriel Du Pre series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.