No Miracles Required

Mystery writer Iris Woolsey enters the dark side of the art world after making a facetious remark about a dead body on television. Soon after, a corpse with a gold key hanging from his neck turns up in Star Lake, only to be overshadowed by another unfortunate victim found dead and missing a finger on a French Island beach. Genial Chief Inspector Freddy Donovan and the Belmont police get more unexpected business with the curious ransacking of Iris's home and the offices of The Belmont Bee. Meanwhile, art lovers worldwide are astonished by the theft of three celebrated American paintings from a local, prestigious auction house. While Iris gives an old romance another chance, she joins Donovan in a search for answers in this complex tale of big money and dirty tricks. Once again, the primordial landscape of the great Mississippi valley lends itself well to basic emotions run amok.