Taz Blackwell, former environmental negotiator and now a trouble-seeking drinker and romantic charmer, tries to find a new life and love against a backdrop of espionage, corporate plunderers, and devious diplomats.

Escaping a failed marriage, Taz moves to the island of Chincoteague on Virginia's Atlantic Coast, where he explores friendships with a cast of small-town misfits and romance with a beautiful but wary divorcee. Meanwhile, he fights a corporate land grab on the shore and a shady billion-dollar mining play in the international Arctic.

Why is a Chinese mining conglomerate stealing the land underneath a traditional black community on Virginia's Eastern Shore? Why is the Russian ambassador to Iceland trying to open southern Greenland to mining? Why does Taz interest the ambassador's beautiful mistress? The answers are in Chilly Winds, a tour de force that will appeal to mystery lovers, adventure addicts, and espionage fans everywhere.