For year-round Vineyard residents J. W. Jackson and his wife, Zee, winter brings its own beauty, with uncrowded streets, pristine snowy landscapes, and long, cozy nights by the fire. It can also bring danger.There's a chill in the air one January day when J.W. receives a surprising visit from long-ago pal Clay Stockton. Thrice divorced and still living on the edge, Clay has come to J.W. not to relive the reckless days of their youth but to ask J.W. for help. He's in big trouble and needs to lie low on the Vineyard.And it isn't just Clay who needs J.W.'s assistance; J.W.'s pal Bonzo has made a frightening discovery that may lead to the whereabouts of Nadine Gibson, a young woman who went missing on the Vine-yard almost a year ago. Bonzo once took Nadine bird-watching, and the circumstances connecting Nadine's disappearance to Bonzo are enough to make him a person of interest to the police.