In retired trial lawyer Phelan’s lively fourth Pinnacle Peak mystery, attorney Hannah Dain, barely recovered from the adventures of 2006’s Spurred Ambition
, takes on a case that leads her into abandoned mines and deep waters in the Arizona desert. While helping her older sister and fellow attorney, Shelby, gather evidence for a uranium pollution lawsuit brought by the local Indian tribe, Hannah rescues a woman whose car plunges into a lake. Following up on the woman leads to other questions, and a twist of circumstance finds Hannah appointed lead prosecutor for the case. Meanwhile, she’s having second thoughts about her ex-boyfriend, Cooper Smith, and her fondness for her recently discovered young half-sister, Anuya, further jeopardizes her shaky relationship with Shelby. Vivid descriptions of the desert provide a dramatic backdrop to the increasingly dangerous investigation as Hannah inches closer to the truth. Phelan has created a swiftly moving tale of corporate corruption and tangled, touching family relationships. (Sept.)
