Book Description

“Incisive wit . . . a sleuth worthy of comparison to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot or Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone.”—James W. Hall Diana O’Hehir beguiled audiences with I Wish This War Were Over, runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize. Now, she presents a mystery set in that most shadowy of landscapes: the human mind. Green Beach Manor, set on the jagged cliffs of the California coast, calls itself “A Colony for Independently Functioning Adults.” It costs a pretty penny—and Carla Day is confident that her affectionate-but-confused elderly father is getting the best care there. An accomplished former Egyptologist, he now lives in a fusion of past and present. The staff hasn’t a clue what he’s ranting about—and they’re ready to send him to what they privately call No Hope House. Then a string of suspicious events unravels. A fire starts inexplicably in the beauty parlor, and some drugs go missing. Carla, hoping to keep a close eye on her dad, lands a job as an aide at the Manor. But management has one condition: Spy for us, figure out who’s doing this—and you and your father can stay. Soon, a guest swallows glass hidden in her food. An employee dies an eerie death. And Carla’s father begins rambling not only about Egyptian pyramids, but also about a dead woman on the nearby beach. The answer may lie in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Or maybe it’s somewhere further—in the deep recesses of a brilliant old man’s memory. “One of the most intellectually delightful murder mysteries ever written . . . The narrating voice is a pleasure from beginning to end, and the reader comes away with an education in ancient Egyptology!”—Vivian Gornick, author of Fierce Attachments