Dead Man's Fingers

Eve Elliot fled the Manhattan rat race to join her Aunt Lillian Weber's Magothy, Maryland real estate firm. The former ad exec expected a gentler, more restful lifestyle. However, she appears in court accompanied by her aunt to try to stop their neighbor Carl Rainey from building a huge house on the next property, blocking their view of Chesapeake Bay. Environmental filmmaker and active green panther Lauren DeWitt proves that the zoning laws disallow the building of a new house at that site. A defeated Carl threatens the individuals who thwart his efforts. Soon someone murders Lauren and sets Lillian's dock on fire. Eve and Lillian wonder will happen next as the war between the tree huggers and the tree cutters heats up with the two women caught in the middle. Eve decides to investigate the murder before she and her relative become statistics too. DEAD MAN'S FINGERS is a pleasant amateur sleuth tale that centers on the conflict between development and environment, especially at a coastal community. The who-done-it lacks the pizzazz of the two previous tales in the series (see FINAL CLOSING and DEATH IN STILL WATERS). Still, the story line contains a fresh look at a pressing issue. Eve and the support cast are fun characters who add to the enjoyable tale. Barbara Lee adeptly brings the Chesapeake Bay region and its environmental conflict to an understandable, entertaining and thought provoking novel.Harriet Klausner