SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION

When an elderly man bursts into flame at an assisted living center on Christmas Eve -- and is consumed in under a minute -- no one can explain what started the fire, much less whether it was an accident... or murder. There was nothing combustible in the room with him, nor anything that might have caused a spark. Nothing but a mild-mannered old man, looking forward to spending the holiday with his grandchildren on the morrow. If not for the unusual nature of his death, the police would have no reason to investigate.

But investigate they must... and the lead detective on the case will soon discover more than he bargained for, the facts he unearths painting a very different picture of the victim than his family would like. Meanwhile, the detective's own estranged father, recently released from prison, has come to visit for an indefinite period -- complicating life for his son, and forcing him to confront the ethical implications of the secrets he himself continues to harbor.

Meet Gray Gaynes: a brilliant investigator, but also a man deeply wounded by his own personal tragedy... A man willing to go to great lengths to hide the truth of the irrevocable changes he is undergoing.