Casa Madrone

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake sets the stage for murder in this gripping historical mysteryfrom "e;America's Agatha Christie"e; (The Star). When her wealthy fiance, Richard Welbeck, breaks his leg in a terrible accident, Mallory Bookever must abruptly relocate her wedding from New York to Richard's California home, embarking on a cross-country train trip to meet him. Escorted by her beloved aunt and Richard's close friend, Mallory is determined to make the best of her predicament, until someone tries to pull her off the train. Chalking it up to an attempted robbery seems the sensible thing to do, but then Mallory sees the state of Richard on her arrival. A mere broken bone can't account for his befuddled condition. Convinced he is being poisoned, Mallory trusts no one in the extended family who welcomes her to his Nob Hill mansion. Struggling with her sense of unease and her growing attraction to Richard's friend Mallory is about to cancel the wedding, when a massive earthquake strikes San Francsico. In the midst of the first aftershocks, Richard is shot, and Mallory realizes that a disaster is the perfect cover for someone determined to get away with a murder or two . . . "e;One of her most engaging novels, a boon to all mystery lovers who also have a taste for good writing."e; Richmond Times-Dispatch"e;A new mystery by a master author of suspense, who has given the reader 'whodunits' for the past fifty years, one of the last giants of the genre."e; West Coast Review of Books