Wealthy, eccentric Milo Biehle died. Before his death he had cajoled his faithful assistant, Hannah Stuart, into executing his final wishes. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Milo, whose kindness, affection and protection had saved her life. Hannah began fulfilling his requests, one by one, starting with Milo's mother, Miranda. Had Milo knowingly put Hannah in danger with his requests?

Yates Lang made a reputation for himself, both with his detective work and the ladies. But his work meant more to him than any dame. Yates was intrigued when it looked like there might be some shady involvement on the part of his employers: the exclusive and highbrow law firm of Simpson, Chapman, and Vonecker, in connection with some cases . Drugs, murder, money and white slavery were all good reasons to go poking your nose where it didn't belong. And better yet when you found out you had a score to settle. . . .

Gerry Vonecker, Milo's lawyer, had been at the house, gathering documents and making Hannah a very wealthy woman and owner of Kenninghall. Vonecker soon discovered himself between a rock and a hard place. Which client does he keep happy? The ones paying him or the ones who will make him pay? Vonecker questioned Hannah about any documents he may have missed and she kept her own counsel about Milo's mysterious letters. But her silence may have ended up working against her. How far would someone go to find out the truth? And how far would someone go to hide it?

E.C. Sheedy offers an assortment of characters whom have carved out individual niches in this tale of an elusive deed, suave charmers, unscrupulous relatives, a remarkable heroine, a fearless hero, murders and mayhem-all are the perfect ingredients to create a delightful, fast moving whodunit, full of unexpected twists and turns. The marvelous, mystical Miranda is only one of many in this cast of characters who come to life. They will make you laugh at their human foibles, and cry over their despair. You might pity the ones who revel in their despicable actions and wonder at those whose misplaced loyalties are unwavering, while chilling shivers at the acts of pure evil perpetuated by mankind crawl up your spine. In this reader's opinion, because this book lacks active sexual interaction between the primary characters, I cannot honestly recommend this as a good choice for an Erotic Romantic Murder/Mystery. However, if you're looking for the perfect murder mystery that will grab you by the throat and have you mesmerized from the first page to the last, this definitely tops my reading list. Read it with the lights on. . . .

Reviewer: Gayle Armstrong
July 2004