Corpse Flower

2010 Unhanged Arthur Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel - WinnerBliss s life becomes anything but blissful when she encounters the world of rural pot cultivation.From country club to trailer park Swindled out of a fair divorce settlement, former socialite Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall works a number of part-time jobs to pay the rent on a rundown trailer and keep her motorcycle on the road. House cleaner, yoga teacher, library assistant, cemetery groundskeeper, drudge for her agoraphobic cousin the work never ends. But Bliss still can t save enough money for another day in court. So, when her cousin offers her a generous fee to find a pollinating mate for his giant jungle plant, she agrees to help. How hard can it be? That s when she discovers that her neighbours, employers, and even her cousin are involved in a string of illegal activities including grow-ops and suspicious deaths. Police Chief Neil Redfern s persistent scrutiny is interfering with her goal, and Bliss suspects he himself may be up to his badge in the crimes he s 'investigating.' With no one to back her up, Bliss must make a decision: she can give up on her dream, or she can start fighting dirty. Either way, she risks becoming another murder victim.