A Dan Jamieson and Rachel Maguire Mystery Series

After their adventures at Daybreak House in Maine, Dan Jamieson and Rachel Maguire have settled into a happily blossoming relationship and Dan has opened a branch office of his private detective agency in Boston, since he has been spending less time in Maine and more time in Boston lately. He even hired a young operative, former military cop and computer expert Charlie Waterson, to work with him on financial investigations. When Dan is asked to investigate alleged embezzlements at Thornton’s Emporium, it doesn’t take long for him to figure out that Ronald Thornton is less interested in the theft of company funds than he is in seeking revenge on a beautiful female employee who rebuffed his very unsubtle carnal propositions. Dan’s refusal to play a role in Thornton’s blatant sexual harassment and his victim’s termination of employment might have been the end of it, except a few days later Thornton is found in Boston Common, quite dead and with a bouquet of daffodils on his chest. Certain elements of the case suggest a Chinese connection and with Dan and Charlie’s specialized knowledge of the community, the police ask Dan to become a consultant to their investigation. Dan has his own reason for wanting in. He and Rachel had warned Thornton’s victim that he might seek reprisals, one attempt had already been thwarted, and now Emily was missing.

It seemed like a perfect plan, all summer relaxing at a luxurious and private estate on a small island located just off the coast of northern Maine. Rachel Maguire and her niece and nephew are planning a quiet summer, enjoying a break from their wildly successful personal care products company, mystuff.com and developing plans for their next entrepreneurial project. Jared and Allison dream of converting Daybreak House into an elegant boutique hotel catering to successful young professionals like themselves. The brother and sister also plan on spending lots of time with two very special friends who live on Egg Island, the nearby resort town. Rachel arrives a day early to open the estate but the summer gets off to an ominous start when she is nearly scared out of her wits on the first night by an apparent ghost walking the halls. It doesn't get better when an intruder murdered the following night, shortly after Jared and Allison arrive with their houseguest, Jack. Jack had argued with the murder victim earlier that night and he is soon suspected of the murder, then implicated in bank fraud after he suddenly disappears. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that either Jared or Allison could have pulled the trigger, but they aren't talking except to defend their missing friend's innocence. In the meantime, Jared learns his girlfriend intends to marry a man she loathes, and she won't even talk to him about it. Rachel sees her small family unraveling as suspicion whirls around Allison and Jared, and neither of them will confide in her. Getting no help from them and fearing they will be accused of the murder, Rachel hires a private detective to find the murderer and clear the names of her niece and nephew. Or was Dan Jamieson hired to help Rachel do that? It depends on who you ask. As the summer goes on and the mystery deepens, their relationships with each other and those they love will be threatened by those they trust the most as they struggle to restore reputations and relationships. And then there's the strange haunting of Daybreak House to contend with. Is there really a ghost prowling the halls and wall at night, or something else?

Dan Jamieson and Rachel Maguire are taking their first steps into retirement, baby steps that will also test their still budding relationship, which seems to be going swimmingly. Dan has planned a vacation traveling to his favorite fishing holes and testing the 400-year-old piscatorial theories of Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, and Rachel has gamely joined him. While she's not that fond of fishing, she is very fond of Dan. The fish are biting and everything is perfect if a bit dull for Rachel when Harry Bartlett suddenly interrupts them on the banks of a quiet stream with news of the death of Dan's old friend. Although reluctant to put aside his fishing, Dan agrees to take on a new investigation. A few days earlier, Henry Caldwell had been playing his best ever round of tournament golf and was about to claim the coveted Winner’s Cup when he suddenly collapsed and was soon pronounced dead in front of a large crowd of onlookers and fellow golfers. An autopsy later reveals that the cause of death is poison and apparent suicide is the conclusion of the medical examiners. Caldwell’s daughter, Viviane, cannot believe her father would commit suicide and implores Dan Jamieson to investigate and find the real cause of Henry Caldwell’s death. Did Caldwell accidentally take poison or did someone accidentally give him poison? Or, did someone who would benefit from his death give poison to him on purpose? Who would benefit, and why? Only one thing is obvious - if Caldwell's death was not a suicide, then either Caldwell himself or someone else accidentally fed him a deadly poison, or someone purposefully murdered him by poison. Which is it? Quietly, and with his fishing pole always nearby, Dan and Rachel begin digging into Henry Caldwell’s extravagant lifestyle and questionable business habits and the many angles and twists uncovered reveal several persons who are not entirely what they seem to be and may have had very good reasons to wish Caldwell dead. Complicating matters is Caldwell’s business manager, the man he had once offered a partnership in his business. Now, with the business in shambles and his wealth gone at the time of his death, this could be a reason for him to commit suicide, or for someone to murder him to cover up financial mistakes or embezzlement.