False Fortune (2007) Poisoned Pen Press Hardcover 978-1-59058-363-0 Finalist, Rocky Award

Hannah is settling back into her law practice at the family firm, trying not to think too much about Cooper Smith, the boyfriend she’s dumped—for the second time. Hard to do when half-sister Shelby, fresh from rehab, is deeply in love, or at least lust, with a local firefighter.

A trip to an abandoned uranium mine turns into the daring lake rescue of a mysterious woman. Then the sisters’ already-rocky relationship becomes bumpier. Hannah is appointed lead counsel in Shelby’s toxic tort case on behalf of the local Indian tribe—a case, Hannah discovers, that some people will do anything to keep out of the courtroom. The arrival of a recently-discovered family member on Hannah’s doorstep further jeopardizes her relationship with Shelby.

Hannah’s new friend, Jerry Dan Kovacs, only makes things more complicated. From the moment he jumps into the lake with Hannah to prevent a drowning to his discovery of a hidden map to his bungled attempt at corporate espionage, Jerry Dan entangles Hannah in a whirlwind of events, eventually pulling her into a treasure hunt that may be tied to a complex fraud. Assault and murder ratchet up the ante, and soon Hannah is in such deep water, not even her trusty kayak can keep her afloat. With careers and lives on the line, Hannah must unravel the schemes before it is too late.