Judas Island - Softcover

Wall, Kathryn R

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933523700 ISBN 13: 9781933523705

Publisher: Bella Rosa Books, 2013

Synopsis

#4 in the Bay Tanner Mystery Series

From the depths of a forgotten grave rise the echoes of a deadly conspiracy . . .

When widowed financial consultant and sometime detective Bay Tanner flees Paris and the collapse of her short-lived affair with Interpol agent Alain Darnay, she finds herself drawn into yet another of the dark mysteries that seem to swirl around her father's antebellum mansion in Beaufort, South Carolina. No sooner has she unloaded her bags than she senses trouble between retired Judge Talbot Simpson and his longtime housekeeper/companion, Lavinia Smalls. What—or who—has driven a wedge between these two people who have been the bedrock of Bay's existence since her childhood? And why won't either of them talk about it? Then a phone call from her partner-in-crime-solving, Erik Whiteside, sets in motion a chain of events that will ultimately expose the dark underbelly of the aristocratic local society in which she grew up.

Erik's old college drinking buddy, archaeologist Gray Palmer, has uncovered a grave on an obscure island just off the South Carolina coast and hints the bones may be those of a murder victim. But before Bay and Erik can learn the details, Palmer turns up dead himself and in a particularly gruesome way. Spurred on by Gray's exotic girlfriend and his estranged father's offer of a sizeable reward, they methodically peel back the layers of deceit and cover-up carefully constructed over decades by those who have everything to lose if the grave injustices of Judas Island are ever brought to light.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, and Marcia Muller come to mind as the quintessential writers of the modern female private eye novel. Wall, in a quiet and unassuming way, has produced a body of work of equal quality. Highly recommended."
—Library Journal

About this title

Review:

Praise for "Perdition House" "Kathryn Wall's touch and tender sleuth Bay Tanner takes top honors in any list of new female investigators. In "Perdition House," Bay deals with a painful past and a dicey future. Wall hauntingly evokes the lovely South Carolina Low Country in a suspenseful novel of lost love, double dealing, and danger. First rate."- Carolyn Hart, author of "April Fool Dead" "The suspense ratchets up periodically, the characters are all well drawn and unique, and the writing evokes the new South without resorting to stereotype. Best of all, Bay makes a believable and appealing protagonist.""- The Cleveland Plain Dealer" "If anything, Wall's stories are getting better. I found myself eager to get home from work so I could finish reading. And this wasn't a book I rushed through. It's an enjoyable story from beginning to end."- "Beaufort Gazette" ..".St. Martin's Minotaur has a real winner on its hands with Bay Tanner, and South Carolina has a rising literary star in Kathryn Wall."- "The State, Columbia South Carolina"

From the Back Cover:

FROM HILTON HEAD'S SPARKLING BEACHES TO THE LOWCOUNTRY'S REMOTE ISLANDS, THE PAST IS NEVER DEAD...AND THE TRUTH CAN KILL.

After an abruptly-ended stay in Paris, Bay Tanner is more than happy to return home to South Carolina and immerse herself back into the tranquil scenery, small-town gossip, and affection of numerous concerned friends. But her peaceful return is short-lived when her fledgling detective agency gets a new client-Gray Palmer, an archeologist friend of Bay's sleuthing partner Erik Whiteside. While digging around one of the isolated coastal islands, Gray discovered a far-from-ancient body and wants help in identifying it. But it isn't long before Gray turns up dead in a freak boating accident ... or before it becomes plain that some very deadly people will do anything to stop an investigation. Now, Bay must travel the darkest byways of the past, from Charleston's historic streets to an infamous local island's shore to the heart of several civil-rights-era disappearances...and into a lethal confrontation.

"Tough and action packed."
-The Chicago Tribune

"Intriguing...Wall juggles the plot in entertaining and satisfying fashion."
-Orlando Sentinel

About this edition

• Publisher: Bella Rosa Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1933523700
• ISBN 13: 9781933523705
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280