The Canaan Legacy

...but if you can't suspend your disbelief a little bit, what the heck kind of mystery reader are you? The concept of this book was extremely intriguing and held my attention to the end. I thought the characters were excellent, and I hope to see some of Rachel Gold's supporting cast in her future adventures. All in all, one heckuva page-turner.

As a longtime lover of legal procedure-detective stories, expecially with lawyers as heroines, it has amazed me that Michael Kahn's Rachel Gold novels have not enjoyed more general support. They are well written, loaded with authentic material and have truly puzzling mysteries to unravel. Throw in an irresistible, spunky main character and it's quite a nice package (as is Rachel Gold). While the fifth and so far final novel, Sheer Gall, is Kahn's best, Grave Designs is the start of it all. And a fine start it is. A complex story with a plot that reaches back to Colonial New England and a brainy heroine struggling with her own emotions and a nefarious criminal organization are the basis of the absorbing story. Plus there is one light touch that I just love. Rachel greets an old law-school friend with a flip "You mean you made bail on the morals charge?" and he replies "The sheep would never testify against me!" Ah, insouciance. Ah, breezy dialogue.