Laura Lee

According to John Crudele of the New York Post, Alton Rhode has "a touch of Bourne, a dash of Bond and a sprig of Spenser." In his latest adventure, the damaged war hero turned private eye must once again battle evil -- and the establishment -- to right an egregious wrong. A neighborhood security guard apprehends Elizabeth Olsen, gun in hand, fleeing a mansion. Inside, John Denton, a prominent banker with weird sexual tastes, lies dead, shot many times in the face. The District Attorney, in an election year, will prosecute the case himself, which everyone regards as open and shut. After all, the deck is stacked against Elizabeth: She acknowledges that Denton was her lover; the fatal bullets came from the gun she was holding; her prints were on the weapon, and she had gunshot residue on her hand. Her story has more holes in it than the victim: She entered the darkened house, found the body, was frightened by a movement, picked up the gun and fired at a shadowy presence. Needless to say, no one believes Elizabeth, not even her high-powered lawyer. But her wealthy father does, and hires Rhode to clear her. Rhode has a reputation for accomplishing the impossible. But like just about everyone, he has doubts about Elizabeth, a sexy, amoral party girl. Yet, he uncovers just enough information to keep him going. Then the case takes an even more tragic turn, sending Rhode on a journey into the past, where he uncovers a startling secret that changes everything and threatens everyone. With scenes set in New York and Georgia, nothing is really as it seems in LAURA LEE, a novel of revenge, blackmail and, ultimately, redemption. With a quirky moral code that doesn’t allow him to take the easy way out, Rhode puts his own life on the line to protect two women he believes have been grossly abused. Then a final, incredible revelation forces him to enlist some unlikely allies on both sides of the law.