A skillfully told tale with a surprising ending. The narrative is true both to what's known about Jane's activities at the time and to her own private journalistic voice.

Over the years, the Donna Leon's best-selling Commissario Guido Brunetti series has conquered the heart of lovers of finely-plotted character-driven mysteries all over the world. Brunetti, both a perceptive sleuth and a principled family man, has exposed readers to Venice in all its aspects: its history, beauty, architecture, seasons, food and social life, but also the crime and corruption that seethe below the surface of La Serenissima.   In The Golden Egg, as the first leaves of autumn begin to fall, Brunetti's ambitious boss, Patta, asks him to look into a seemingly insignificant violation of public vending laws by a shopkeeper, who happens to be the future daughter-in-law of the Mayor. Brunetti, who has no interest in helping Patta enrich his political connections, has little choice but to ask around to see if the bribery could cause a scandal.   Then, Brunetti's wife Paola comes to him with an unusual request of her own. The deaf, mentally disabled man who worked at their dry-cleaners has died of a sleeping-pill overdose, and Paola's kind heart can't take the idea that he lived and died without anyone noticing him, or helping him.   To please her, Brunetti begins to ask questions. He is surprised when he finds that the man left no official record: no birth certificate, no passport, no driver's license, no credit cards. The man owns nothing, is registered nowhere. As far as the Italian government is concerned, the man never existed. It is even more surprising because, with his physical and mental handicaps, both he and his mother were entitled to financial support from the state. And yet, despite no official record of the man's life, there is his body.   Stranger still, the dead man's mother is reluctant to speak to the police and claims that her son's identification papers were stolen in a burglary. As clues stack up, Brunetti suspects that the Lembos, a family of aristocratic copper magnates, might be somehow connected to the death. But could anyone really want this sweet, simple-minded man dead?   Donna Leon's Brunetti series has gotten better and better in recent years, with countless reviews praising her remarkable ability to keep the books fresh, the depths of feeling genuine. This story of a troubled life is undoubtedly one of her most touching, emotionally powerful books, a standout for the series.

What a difference a few letters can make.Millicent Jane Beaumont, southern belle and daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, is turning eighteen. After planning the birthday party of the century, all she wants is for her best friend and pen pal, Stephenie Treen, to attend. But Stephenie never asks for an invitation and the party becomes an opportunity for locals and foreigners to seek Millicent's hand in marriage.Stephen Green, southern gentleman and son of a wealthy plantation owner in South Carolina, has secretly been corresponding, under false pretenses, with a young lady in Louisiana. As her eighteen birthday approaches, Stephen acquires an invitation to the private party. But when Stephen arrives in New Orleans he meets another woman who intrigues his heart. Will he make it to the Beaumont Plantation and meet Millicent or will this new lady draw him away?

Erotica/Romance. 51131 words long. First published in www.torquerepress.com, 2007

Working for an award winning documentary filmmaker, Trudie Eyre had hoped to be a part of something meaningful. Instead she finds herself thrown into the seedy world of strip clubs and exotic dancers. When the club owner is found murdered, hardly anyone is surprised and nobody seems to care. Caught in a world where dreams are broken, Trudie finds that sometimes, people give up too much.