Red Hot — Dana Dratch

Freelance writer Alex Vlodnachek hasn't had a vacation in ages. So when her sister invites her -- and pup Lucy -- for a girls' get-away to Miami, it's too tempting to resist.

Big sister Annie wants Alex to savor a little fun in the sun at her South Beach condo. Redhead Alex just wants to escape complications at home, enjoy a little R&R and find an industrial-sized bottle of sunscreen. But trouble is hot on her heels -- along with a few stray friends and relatives.

On the eve of the condo association''s hotly contested election, everything in the luxury high-rise is going haywire. But board president and social butterfly Leslie McQueen seems curiously absent amidst the chaos. Along with a good chunk of the association''s cash.

When several of Annie's friends are left holding the bag, Alex jumps in to help -- and discovers the tony condo tower offers no shortage of shady characters, murder, and mayhem.

But when her brother, Nick, arrives -- with their irrepressible grandmother, Baba, and Alex's pal Trip, in tow -- is the gang riding to the rescue? Or plunging Alex into more hot water?