When the past and the present collide,
life changes. So does Sandi Webster.
The year is 1897, and Vincente Chavez rules the Red Light District in Old Los Angeles. Someone plunges a knife into the heart of the young prostitute who lives with him -- his mistress. Unfortunately, she becomes no more than a brief footnote in Los Angeles history. No one could predict how her death would affect lives in the brief span of one hundred years.
P.I. Sandi Webster is in for the surprise of her life when her overbearing, menopausal mother arrives in Los Angeles and wants her to solve a century-old murder. Her mother's attitude causes confident, armed-and-dangerous Sandi to feel like a gibbering child. Oblivious to her effect on her daughter, Livvie tries to ensure Sandi's cooperation in solving the crime by enticing her with the story of a long lost treasure. Can Sandi solve the murder and find the treasure before someone takes her life?
Excerpt
"So tell me, Mother, what is this trip all about? What murder?"
"I'm trying to think of a good way to put this," she said, tapping her finger against the map that now rested in her lap. "You know that your great-great-great-grandfather owned one of the biggest and fanciest brothels in Old Los Angeles, right?"
"Yes, I know all about that."
"Well, maybe you don't know quite everything, dear. Did you know he was accused of murdering a woman?"
"What?" She could have knocked me over the head with a rolling pin and I wouldn't have been any more surprised. And she'd said it so casually.
"He never went to trial or to prison. They didn't have sufficient evidence. And that's why I'm here." She stopped talking, as if this was explanation enough.
"What's why you're here? What are you talking about? Give me more information than that, Mother. Why are you here? And be specific."
"That's simple. I want you to solve the case and figure out who really committed the murder."
Professional Reviews
No Title
Sandi Webster is a fresh new addition to the ranks of female private investigator. You won't want to miss this book or any of the future installments. A Well-Kept Family Secret is actually a little treasure itself.
-- Dorothy Bodoin, Author of Darkness at Foxglove Corners
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McGraw unleashes Sandi and Pete and a slightly wacky mother to solve a hundred year old murder. Mcgraw's conversational style makes it a one-sitting read. The book is filled with lively characters and scenes the reader will long remember.
-- L.C. Hayden, Author of Why Casey Had To Die, An Agatha Finalist for Best Novel
