Everyone knows the tale of maria or la llorona the weeping woman. Everyone's heard her but never seen her. And the ones who have. Never made it out alive. After drowning her children and herself in the river. She's back. And this time she's out for blood.

A serial killer stalks Barbados and Detective John Riley returns to the island to stop them before they turn their attention to the people closest to him. ***** A serial killer stalks the tropical paradise of Barbados, leaving victims naked in canefields and the island police force is ill-equipped to handle the case. Enter Seattle homicide detective and Barbados native: Detective John Riley. John hasn't been back to Barbados in decades, and he has his own demons to face. But as he combats the heat, the media, and the very police force he's working to help, he desperately hopes he can stop the violence before the killer turns their attention to the people closest to him. [[Wattys Winner]] [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]