Secondhand Smoke
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
From award-winning author Karen E. Olson comes a nail-biting mystery from her Annie Seymour series.
Awakened by a loud commotion, New Haven reporter Annie Seymour wanders outside to discover a favorite Italian eatery engulfed in fire. Even more shocking is the bullet-ridden body found in the debris. Then things get personal. Annie's father, a Vegas casino boss, suddenly arrives in town and the restaurant hires hunky private eye Vinny DeLucia, with whom she has some unfinished business.
Now trying to cut through the smoke to uncover the real story, Annie questions her father's connection to the crime. Between the FBI, her would-be hero Vinny, and some raucous animal rights protestors, Annie must peer through the familiar town houses, worn-out sidewalks, and back alleys of her youth to determine a killer's motives-and avoid being burned next...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Authentic urban atmosphere, generous wit and winning characters lift Olson's second outing for Annie Seymour (after 2005's Sacred Cows), which takes the intrepid New Haven, Conn., reporter to a possible arson scene. When a cherished local Italian restaurant, Prego, burns down, a corpse in the rubble is believed to be that of the owner, Sal Amato. The police later determine that the deceased is Prego's hostess, whose history of domestic violence with her boyfriend, Prego's chef, leads to the chef's arrest. But when Annie stumbles on Amato, just after he's shot dead, it looks as if the mob may be responsible. Enter Annie's father, who's in town from Las Vegas. Annie worries her dad is somehow involved, and when his fingerprints show up in suspicious places, the cops and the Feds agree. To clear his name, Annie joins forces up with sexy Vinny DeLucia, marine biologist turned gumshoe, who conveniently turns up in all the wrong places at the right times to save Annie's derriere. Readers are sure to look forward to Annie's further adventures.