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Overview
Bleached-blond call girls rarely bring good news, especially the one who bursts through the door of Bay Tanner's struggling inquiry agency and into her already complicated life. Karen Zwilling swears she's been viciously attacked but can't—or won't—go to the police.
With the tragedy of her husband's murder finally resolved, Bay has been yearning for a little tranquillity, but that hope is shattered, both by Karen's plea for help and by the unexpected reappearance of aging playboy Win Hammond, scion of an old Beaufort family, who has been missing for more than twenty years. Why has the prodigal son chosen this moment to return, and what will the consequences be for his sister, Bay's beloved Miss Addie? Add to all this a suspected embezzlement by a local businessman and his questionable relationship with his partner, and suddenly Bay and her young associate, Erik Whiteside, find themselves hip-deep in cases and clients.
When a disfigured corpse is discovered on the beach at Hilton Head, Bay's longed-for peace and quiet are irrevocably washed away on the outgoing tide, and suddenly it's clear that no one is who they appear to be, including Bay's former nemesis Ben Wyler. As the pieces finally tumble into place, the shocking resolution may prove as deadly for Bay Tanner as the treacherous waters of Bishop's Reach.
Synopsis
Bay gets her detective agency off the ground when she investigates a man who has been raping women.
Publishers Weekly
Wall's winning sixth Bay Tanner mystery (after 2005's Resurrection Road) finds the Hilton Head, S.C., "inquiry agent" up to her lovely green eyeballs in clients with hidden agendas. When a two-year search by Bay's partner in her PI agency, Erik Whiteside, finally locates the black sheep brother of Miss Addie, an elderly lifelong friend of Bay's family, the brother's return to Hilton Head is the first clue in a tangle of criminal activities and murder. An attractive escort service employee enlists Bay's help to hunt down a rapist, and a Georgia socialite wants to locate her missing Prince Charming. When a badly beaten corpse shows up on the beachfront, the dead man may fit one or both of these bills. Digging deeper whisks Bay into a puzzle that stretches from the mainland to the Virgin Islands and involves both lowlifes and the monied aristocrats. Oozing Southern charm, this whodunit flows like hot molasses to a deliciously clever conclusion. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.