Colin Lawrence

Melinda Monroe answers an ad to work as a nurse practitioner in the remote California town of Virgin River thinking it will be the perfect place to start fresh and leave her painful memories behind. But she soon discovers that small-town living isn't quite as simple as she expected and that she must learn to heal herself before she can truly make Virgin River her home.

When two scientists attempt to discover unlimited energy, their experiment is sabotaged by eco-terrorists. The result is a dark energy black hole that could destroy the planet.

Arkady Balagan is a genius who found fame as the world chess champion but who, since witnessing the murder of his fiancée, has become rather agoraphobic and has been living in a posh hotel in Vancouver. Out of money and with his tab being called due he stumbles into helping find an abducted child.