Mizushima’s long-running Timber Creek K-9 series is deeply rooted in the daily responsibilities and duties of a Rocky Mountain sheriff’s station. As it’s tackled contemporary crimes, its police procedural roots have extended to explore the personal lives of local residents. This time, a welfare check by Deputy Mattie Walker and her K-9 partner, Robo, leads to the discovery of a deceased young mother and a screaming toddler. A drug overdose is indicated in Jaclyn Reynolds’ death, and babysitter Isabel Webb fills in some details of Jaclyn’s tumultuous recent life. The child, whose name is Emma, tells Mattie that her mother was hit by “Audie Beebee.” After Mattie launches her investigation by checking in with the sheriff’s office and Child Protection Services, she and Deputy Lester Hitchen stop a motorist behaving erratically and, with Robo’s help, discover a cache of illegal drugs hidden in the spare tire of the car. They take Delgado, the nervous driver, into custody, and his behavior becomes increasingly suspicious. Meanwhile, Mattie’s new husband, Cole, a veterinarian, is dealing with Butch, a strangely aggressive Rottweiler. Not surprisingly, all of these threads are intertwined in Mattie and Robo’s 11th mystery. Chief among the many local subplots is a discussion between Mattie and Cole about expanding their blended family.