Anthony-winner Dunlap, author of the Jill Smith mysteries (Sudden Exposure
, etc.) and Kiernan O'Shaughnessy series (A Pious Deception
, etc.), introduces another brilliant but vulnerable heroine, Darcy Lott, a stuntwoman with a secret. After a stunt goes awry and a young protégé is seriously injured, Darcy, a Buddhist, retreats to Redwood Canyon Monastery, deep in California redwood country, where she delivers a message from her Manhattan roshi, or spiritual teacher, to the camp's leader, the enigmatic Leo Garson–roshi. Rather than enlightenment, Darcy finds a Zen camp awash in greed, lies and ultimately murder as she investigates Leo's sudden illness and the disappearance of a young Zen student six years earlier. Dunlap fans are sure to welcome this new addition to her oeuvre, while remaining hopeful they may yet see more of Smith and O'Shaughnessy. (Nov.)
