by Ann Maxwell
First published 2008
Jill Breck pulls Lane Faroe from rushing water during what should be a routine river guiding job. Lane happens to be the son of two top operatives at St. Kilda Consulting. Soon after, trouble follows Jill home. A fire kills her great-aunt under suspicious circumstances. A dozen paintings owned by her family create upheaval in Western art circles. Someone threatens her life directly. Jill reluctantly asks for help from the people she saved. Zach Balfour works part-time for St. Kilda as an information specialist. He gathers intelligence from dangerous sources but prefers analysis to bodyguard work. Still, he takes the job protecting Jill. The assignment pulls him into the vicious world of art collectors who will kill to maintain their positions. Jill discovers that navigating wild rivers was simple compared to surviving the art world's hidden violence. She and Zach race from her family's cabin to expensive galleries, hunting a killer who hides behind money, deception, and death.
Genres: art, adventure, mystery, crime, contemporary, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: St. Kilda, Western Art Circles
404 pages · Hardcover · Avon