the Maryland mountains and spends his days splitting cords of firewood by hand. When his college-age niece goes missing from her summer job in Rehoboth Beach, Nick is called in to find her. Just as he predicted, it turns out that his niece has run into nothing more sinister than a hot young lifeguard. Nick is ready to get back to splitting firewood, but his old friend and partner is now the Rehoboth Beach police chief, and he needs help. A deadly gang is stalking the boardwalk and beach trails of the nation's summer capital, leaving bodies behind with their organs removed. Fear grips the beach resort, but the bad guys haven't counted on Nick sticking around to work on his tan and turn the tide. He teams up with Detective Sarah Monahan to catch the killers, and soon finds that a beach romance can be as tricky to navigate as a murder investigation.