In For a Penny, In For a Pound

In for a Penny, in for a PoundbyDean CaldwellIn the shadows, from generation to generation, crime is a family business. Among us, from generation to generation, families dedicate themselves lessening crime. Set in present day Europe, In for a Penny, in for a Pound is a bit of a romance told within the only too real world of international crime. An analyst for an art consulting firm is tasked with a routine, low priority, background check of a client's statements. The assertions require only that the provenance be established. Spending a few hours visiting a World War II museum on the Dutch island of Texel seems the cheapest way to either conclude the investigation or justify further work. Dominic offers to take his latest social interest with him to Texel and mix a little business with a long spring weekend. A single simple question to the museum curator ignites a sequence of harassment and intimidation marring their weekend. The ensuing combination of escape and discovery takes the pair across Europe and the Atlantic tracing Nazi era smuggling routes that are still active, still hidden within the fabric of every day commerce and still very profitable.