This is another one I picked because it was fat. I'd never heard of this author and after having read it, I know my pick-by-girth system is a good one. This is a great book - fascinating plot, fabulous characters and beautifully told. Owen Byrne is a cattle farmer in Kansas. He's working hard to make his family farm work with his father and two sisters and he needs cash. Plus, he's always liked to write. Nearly by accident he gets a chance to write a true crime book on a murder trial being held in a suburb of New York City. A famous but mysterious author has been murdered and his equally mysterious wife is the accused. And Owen gets mired in the middle of it all. ( )

Another good mystery. This one is part court room drama, part love story, part murder mystery and part twisted drama. Is the accused woman playing games with the naive man falling in love with her or is she really an abused, damaged person? Is the talented artist a helping, generous person or a manipulative monster? Fast paced and intricately detailed, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. ( )