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The Big One is on its way, and none too soon for the residents of an unusually arid Moose County, who are becoming increasingly anxious about wild fires as they await the first snowstorm of the season. A Citizens' Fire Watch is formed, and volunteers go out on shifts to patrol areas of concern, particularly the old minesites, which have been rumored to contain subterranean fires deep within. When a volunteer is murdered near the Big B minesite, which had been set ablaze, the people of Pickax realize they are dealing with both an arsonist and a killer. And Koko, Siamese cat extraordinaire and owner of journalist James Qwilleran, knows even more than that, as evidenced by his suspicious scrutiny of an antique pitcher, a batik of robins, and an old-fashioned glove box.
The string of catastrophes continues as a local builder dies in an apparent accident, and it's up to Qwilleran & Co. to trap the rat who's behind it all.
