Monica and her son flee her husbands abuse and join her great-aunt, a former Hollywood star, and finds secrets and danger from her aunt's past.

FROM AMAZON: Ever since New York journalist Carol Hamilton was a young girl, her great-aunt Monica Arlen has been for her the stuff of glittering, starry-eyed fantasy. Now, the reclusive movie star offers Carol an escape of another kind. In flight with her son from an abusive marriage, she’s come to Monica’s isolated, fortress-like home on Mt. San Jacinto in Palm Springs—and not only for sanctuary. Carol hopes to do research for her biography of a once-celebrated life that has receded into the dark shadows of Hollywood history.

Surrounded by an entourage of secretaries, companions, and servants, Monica is willing to give Carol and her boy refuge, and to Carol’s surprise, she’s receptive to telling her story. On one condition: Carol must tell the truth about everything, including Saxon Scott, Monica’s most dashing and enigmatic leading man. Meanwhile, Carol is tempted by the prospect of a new man who could heal her wounded heart—or shatter it. But as she digs deeper into lore and legend, she discovers that her great-aunt’s secrets run as deep and dangerous as her past. Soon Carol will find herself entangled in a real-life mystery, and the final scene could very well call for murder. ( )

Carol, great aunt Monica - former movie star in Palm Springs Retreat - adventure

Carol Hamilton is terrified of her ex-husband, a wealthy and powerful man who will stop at nothing to take their son away from her. To escape him, Carol seeks refuge at the Palm Springs home of her great-aunt, Monica Arlen, a once-celebrated movie star. While under her spell, Carol, a journalist, decides to write a book about Monica. What she doesn't realize, though, is that digging into the past is going to break open old and terrible secrets that set the stage for murder....

Carol Hamilton divorced her husband, Owen Barclay, but was willing to let him have visits with their five year-old son, Keith, until she realized he was emotionally abusing the boy. After Owen came to her apartment and hit the boy as well as herself, she fled to Palm Springs. There she hopes to seek refuge with her great-aunt, Monica Arlen, who was once a big movie star.

When the orphaned Carol was growing up in foster homes, watching Monica's old movies and getting her letters helped her survive her dreary life. Now she finds that Monica, aided by her devoted secretary and not-so-devoted man-of-many-jobs, is deeper in a make-believe world than Carol ever was.

Carol is a talented writter. Monica wants her to write the story of her life. The work might have helped take Carol's mind off her fear that Owen will snatch Keith and use his thugs to murder her if Monica throws obstacles in her way. Monica broke off her engagement to her leading man, Saxon Scott, during the filming of their greatest hit, Mirage. That was also when Monica's original secretary, Peggy Smith, committed suicide. Monica doesn't want Carol to interview Scott or the couple who were once her make-up artist and favorite cameraman. She hints that Peggy's death might not have been suicide.

Monica's current secretary, devoted fan Linda Trevor, has been friendly to Carol, but now isn't helping matters. Worse, Linda's brother has shown an instant hostility to Carol for no reason that she can understand. Carol has to spend some time in Jason's company anyway.

Monica doesn't want to accept an invitation to appear, with Scott Saxon, at a special showing of Mirage. Is her one-time love really planning to humiliate her in public? He's certainly aged better than she has.

The emerald of the title is the engagement ring that Scott had Peggy Smith make for Monica. Peggy had carved an iris into it since Monica had been used to carry and gesture with a silk blue iris. Carol's idea to have the cover of Monica's biography bear an iris stamped in gold into it may be why the two books written after this one have what might be an iris stamped in gold on their front covers.

Must admit I didn't see the big revelation coming. Fellow cat lovers should enjoy Monica's cats, especially her psychic Siamese. ( )