"...weaves together old mysteries, modern-art theft and some aristocratic back-stabbing in this intriguing tale." – Kirkus Reviews
Centuries of secrets, cryptic messages from the past, and one determined young American lead to a cozy mystery and murder in the legendary estate of Southjoy Mission.
The patriarch of a legendary estate has died, and the obligations of the estate have passed by inheritance to his granddaughter, his sole survivor, someone he never knew. Catlyn Stacey is a young American, inexperienced, alone, and disconnected from the rich British heritage of both her ancestry and the estate.
Ambitious developers crave the commercial potential of the property, while an aging and forgotten professor laments their ruthless campaigns that are certain to destroy yet another historic landmark. Confounding them all, a baron of bleak prospect covets the wealth of the estate, while the wife of a baronet of lesser rank longs for the prestige the estate would bring to her.
Drawn by the lure of fortune and influence, these powerful forces, and yet one more, a clandestine, ill-willed force, would lay claim to it all by any means necessary, legitimate or otherwise.
It's a war of progress, preservation, and aristocracy, but its combatants may find it a murderous affair beyond their considerable control.
