looking for the big score and always screwing it up whenever he came close to getting it.”
“I know.” Not so very different from her at all, Lydia thought glumly. But she refrained from saying that aloud. “It’s weird, but I think I’m going to miss him.”
Melanie rolled her eyes. “I don’t see how you can summon up any sympathy for the little jerk after the way he stole your first client away from you last month.”
“He just looked so pathetic lying there in that sarcophagus, Mel. The blood and everything.” Lydia shuddered. “It was awful. You know, Chester was pond scum, but I’m surprised that he actually made someone mad enough to murder him.”
“Among his other glowing qualities, Brady was a thief. That tends to irritate folks.”
“There is that,” Lydia conceded. “And as a parting gift to me, on his way to the afterlife he managed to sabotage the sweet deal I had going this morning.”
“Think you’ve lost the client who came to interview you today?”
“For sure. The poor guy had to spend an hour with the cops because of what happened. He was polite about it, but I got the impression that Mr. London is not accustomed to tolerating that kind of inconvenience. He’s a rich, successful businessman from Resonance City. When he phoned earlier he made it clear he prefers to keep a very low profile. He wanted all sorts of assurances about discretion and confidentiality. Thanks to me, he’ll probably wind up in the evening papers.”
“Not real discreet or confidential,” Melanie agreed.
“Considering the circumstances, he was amazingly civil about the whole thing.” Lydia propped her chin on her hands. “He didn’t say anything rude, but I know I’ll never see him again.”
“Hmm.”
Lydia cocked a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, really. It just occurred to me to wonder why a rich, successful businessman who likes to keep a low profile would contact a para-archaeologist who worked in a place like Shrimpton’s House of Ancient Horrors.”
“When he could have had his pick of university consultants from the Society of Para-archaeologists?” Lydia asked grimly. “Okay, I’ll admit I sort of wondered about that, too. But I didn’t want to push my good luck, so I refrained from posing such delicate questions.”
Melanie leaned across the desk to pat her arm. “Hang in there, pal. There will be other clients.”
“Not like this one. This one had money, and I had plans.” Lydia held up her thumb and forefinger spaced an inch apart. “I was this close to giving my landlord notice that I would not be renewing my lease on that large closet he calls an apartment.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah. But maybe it’s all for the best.”
“What makes you say that?” Melanie asked.
Lydia thought about the too-casual way London had asked her if she had murdered Chester. “Something makes me think that working for Emmett London might have been almost as stressful as finding dead bodies in the Tomb Gallery.”
Praise for
“[Castle] has created a fully imagined futurist world in Harmony . . . The real achievement here, though, is something considerably more old-fashioned: the establishment of vital interactions between the characters, whether in love, hatred, or friendship.”
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“Castle’s deliciously dry sense of wit, delightfully amusing characters, and devilishly imaginative plot, spiked with plenty of thrilling twists and turns, all add up to another stellar romance from one of the genre’s most consistently entertaining writers.”
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“Another fascinating journey into the world of Harmony complete with the author’s beloved dust bunnies . . . One can’t help but be enchanted by yet another mesmerizing tale set on the world of Harmony.”
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“A mysterious island, a dangerous and unknown preserve, and a hot passion combine together in
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“Vivid world building . . . I never knew what to expect . . . A satisfying return to the world of Harmony, and I look forward to seeing what happens next on Rainshadow Island.”
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“Engaging characters.”
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“Jayne Castle has delivered another captivating romance in
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“Writing as Castle, romance supernova Jayne Ann Krentz delivers another irresistible addition to her Harmony books while, at the same time, cleverly freshening the series up by setting things in the new locale of Rainshadow. With its danger-infused, passion-rich plot; captivatingly wrought characters; and sharp humor,
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“Complex, bold, funny, and hot, this darkly tantalizing tale, uplifted by dust bunny antics and zingy dialog, masterfully concludes the captivating Looking Glass Trilogy. It lays the groundwork for Castle’s new Rainshadow series, which will explore the remote island’s mysterious Preserve and promises to be one of her most intriguing projects to date.”
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