Kate Wilhelm
A message from her father draws Barbara back to Eugene, back to the law practice she had abandoned in order to defend Nell Kendricks, accused of murdering her husband Lucas, who had been shot on the day he reappeared after an unexplained absence of seven years. Plunged into the mystery of his disappearance, chaos theory experiments, and computer disks with beautiful and strange Mandlebrot and Julia sets, Barbara has to battle not only the legal
...The large retainer offered by a client who asks for complete anonymity is not the only thing that intrigues Barbara Holloway. The defendant, Carol Fredricks, is a gifted young pianist charged with killing the manager of a piano bar. But Carol is as much of a mystery...
In this spirited story of an artists' colony in Maryland, we encounter a murder like a work of art: both subtle and dominating, graceful and discreet. From each new angle it shows a different face. Was it, then, the sculptress who strangled the editor? One of her students? Or did some other artist fashion this masterpiece of murder?
Since he is poised to desecrate...
Charlie Meiklejohn and Constance Leidl probe a mystery whose origins lie beyond the Earth. A series of arson attacks—seemingly unrelated—are destroying old empty buildings across the country, and costing insurance companies dearly. The problem proves not so much to trace the perpetrator, but to understand and prevent the phenomenon which he has been tracking and trying to stamp out for five years: a series of outbreaks of sudden, murderous
...Travis Morgan's case seems open-and-shut: a plot to kill his estranged father, fundamentalist preacher Arlie Morgan, goes awry and his bullet slays an innocent bookkeeper. Two eyewitnesses seal Travis' fate. But despite damning evidence, Travis staunchly maintains his innocence. Beseeched by his anguished mother, veteran defense attorney Barbara Holloway agrees to represent Travis. With the support of her father attorney Frank Holloway and crack
...Quiet—that's what the town of Spender's Ferry is. The lake, the abandoned mill, the woods behind the house—everything is so rural and peaceful, not at all like the clamor and constant street noise of the Bronx. When Charlie and Constance are brought in to investigate a murder and the poisoning of a dog, they discover that the placid woods of Spender's Ferry muffle a teeming jungle of secrets—secret vices, secret pasts, secret
...11) All For One
Charlie didn't want this case, working for three young people, all under twenty-five, who he suspected were setting him up. With one mother and two fathers, the trio had bonded with one another and presented a solid front when Sam, one of the fathers, was killed, but had they carefully plotted the murder in advance with their defense prearranged?
12) The Gorgon Field
What is Ramón's hold on Carl Wyandot, one of the richest men in the country? Carl's daughter hires Constance and Charlie to find out why her father intends to give a hidden valley in Colorado to him. In the valley there is the mammoth formation called the Gorgon Field, red sandstone pillars that are unscalable, cover an area a mile and a half from front to back, and reach nearly two hundred feet in height. Why is Constance entranced by them? Why
...13) Smart House
Gary Elringer, an eccentric young computer genius, had sunk most of his company's funds into the construction of Smart House—much to the dismay of stockholders, most of whom were family and friends. But, when Gary invited them all to a game of Assassin in the newly built house, he never dreamed he'd wind up dead for real. And, when one of the stockholders ends up dead, it's clear that nothing less than murder is afoot in Smart House. Constance
...14) Sister Angel
Wanda believed her murdered husband was communicating with her, using Brother Amos as a go-between. Brother Amos and his daughter Sister Angel were moving into her life, into her home. Charlie and Constance were hired to expose him as a charlatan. The result of their investigation leads to explosive violence that threatens their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives.
15) Torch Song
Charlie is being framed as a serial arsonist, fires that have resulted in five deaths so far. Their search settles on Peter Eisenbeis as the arsonist, a recently released convict that Charlie was responsible for convicting. Also, Charlie was part of the chase that caused massive brain injury to the man's infant son. Marla, the child's mother, has cared for the hopelessly bedridden boy for thirteen years with love and devotion. Only she can lead
...It started with an insurance fraud investigation that took Constance and Charlie to a luxurious resort hotel in Florida where they found their suspect being stalked by an enigmatic woman. It ended with the couple aboard a fishing boat alone with a ruthless killer, and fighting for their lives.
17) The Hamlet Trap
Roman Cavanaugh runs a small theater company in Ashland, Oregon, one that has gained a nation-wide reputation. When a new director comes to town, bringing with him an eccentric playwright, jealousies arise and tempers flare; suddenly a man is found murdered. Ro's niece, Ginnie, is accused, and private investigators Charlie Meiklejohn and his wife, Constance Leidl, are called in to clear his name. They uncover a trail of secrets that threaten to
...18) Cold case
19) Heaven is high
20) No defense
Lara and Vinny Jessup had a lovely May-December marriage. It renewed his lease on life after a battle with cancer, and it rescued her from a bad first marriage. And thenVinny was found dead. Initially, the sheriff in Loomis County thinks that Vinny died when his car rolled over on a bad curve on Lookout Mountain. But then he finds a gunshot wound. Was it suicide, or was it murder? With a large insurance policy as her motive, Lara could have staged
...