False Currents

Private investigator Vance Devane has handled plenty of delicate situations for the wealthy clients of Devane & Associates—but proving that a lonely widow is being fleeced by an online romance scammer should be one of the easier jobs.

When a worried son hires Vance to prove his elderly mother is secretly sending large sums of money to a mysterious man she met online, the case looks like an open-and-shut example of a modern con. The emails are suspicious. The money trail is obvious. And the charming "boyfriend" she's fallen for may not even exist.

But before Vance can deliver the proof, his client is found dead.

What should have been a routine investigation suddenly becomes a murder case with no clear motive. The widow insists her online lover is real—and heartbroken by the tragedy. Meanwhile, the digital trail Vance was following begins to vanish, account by account.

Was the son killed for digging too deeply into a scam?
Is the supposed romance fraudster more dangerous than anyone imagined?
Or is someone much closer to home hiding behind the screen?

As Vance digs deeper into a web of deception stretching from Hilton Head Island to the darker corners of the internet, he realizes the truth may be far more personal—and far more deadly—than a simple online swindle.

Because in this game of love and lies, someone is willing to kill to keep the illusion alive.