In For a Penny

Coastal South Carolina...ancient live oaks, pristine beaches, the remains of antebellum splendor...

Bay Tanner's world is paradise until she witnesses her husband's horrific death. Wounded and grieving, Bay retreats to her hideaway on Hilton Head Island. Then a cry for help forces her back to reality. Can she ignore the plight of her old money friends and family whose involvement in a shadowy land scheme may lead them to financial disaster? And what does all this have to do with Rob's murder? When a body is discovered floating near the ruins of an old plantation house, Bay is forced to confront these questions and admit that one thing is certain—someone is making a killing in real estate.

From In For A Penny: the sharp blare of sirens penetrated my half-conscious mind. My attacker dropped me, face down in the pine straw, and sprinted away. I had just managed to struggle to my hands and knees when the night was shattered by a blast so loud it seemed to come from inside my head. I had barely a second for the smoke and flame to register on my numbed senses.

Then choking darkness enveloped me.

Her debut novel, In for a Penny, explores the ongoing conflict between the explosive resort development in South Carolina and the preservationists determined to protect the barrier islands' historic tranquility.