the Lena Padget series
When Secrets Die
Coming September 2005
Trade Paperback
Pocket Books
Lynn Hightower's novels have tackled such diverse subjects as female serial killers and lethal debt collectors. Now, in her most explosive and controversial thriller to date, she exposes the hidden secrets of hospital pathology labs, the darkest mysteries of motherhood, and the most unthinkable crime of all.
Private investigator Lena Padget has been approached by a single mother with a stunning tale to tell. Emma Marsden, still grieving over the death of her infant son from an inexplicable illness, has been dealt another devastating blow. Her pediatrician, Theodore Tundridge, has accused Emma of poisoning her son in a psychotic bid for attention. Emma wants to counter his charges by accusing Tundridge of keeping a shocking chamber of horrors in his pathology lab -- all the more frightening because it is entirely legal. Lena agrees to take on Emma's case and uncovers other suspicious deaths under the doctor's care. But when a secretly taped video incriminates Emma in the most intimate of ways -- and Emma's teenage daughter disappears -- even Lena isn't prepared for where the truth will take her.
Fortunes of the Dead
Pocket Star
Paperback
September 2004
ISBN: 0743463900
Atria Books
Hardcover
September 2003
ISBN: 0743463897
Lexington, Kentucky, private eye Lena Padget agrees to investigate the disappearance of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) intern Cheryl Dunkirk, even though she knows this decision will put her at odds with her lover, Joel Mendez, the homicide detective in charge of the case. Unbeknownst to the two, their investigations will collide with an ATF search for a serial killer, as agent Wilson McCoy arrives from California to assist the local ATF office in catching the murderer.
Lena works on her own as Joel will no longer share details of the case with her, and they become competitive and stubborn, jeopardizing their romantic relationship. Lena's first-person narration, interspersed with other points of view, keeps the story moving at brisk pace, punctuated effectively with vivid details of rodeo life and ATF protocol.
Reminiscent of Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone, who faces similar relationship issues, Lena will appeal to fans of female private eyes. The first Padget novel, Satan's Lambs (1993), was a Shamus Award winner. Hightower has concentrated recently on her Sonora Blair police procedural series.
Satan's Lambs
Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Berkley Pub Group
ASIN: 0425145573
(January 1995)
Seven years ago, Lena Padget's brother-in-law, a member of a hard-core satanic cult, killed his pregnant wife and their two-year-old son. Now he is getting out on parole and is after Lena. At the same time, his partner is also getting out of prison and is threatening his ex-wife. Lena, a private investigator, and policeman friend Joel Mendez try to stop a tragedy in the making.
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