What would you expect at a seafood convention in Seattle? A lot of cold fish? Certainly not a red-hot murder... and another hopeless case for detective Jane da Silva to solve. Jane -- who can only collect on her trust fund by investigating for her family's nonprofit Bureau for Righting Wrongs -- is broke and back to singing the blues (professionally). She's belting out "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in the convention's hotel lounge when a young woman turns up murdered in the hospitality suite bathtub. Is this a crime of passion among fish lovers? Jane quickly agrees to help the girl's grieving parents investigate their daughter's life and death. Now she's knee-deep in slippery suspects and in a stew about following the most attractive one, a Shetland Islands salmon farmer, back to his castle. But in for a penny, in for a pound (of cold smoked, of course), she's about to sniff out a bizarre secret that can rock the salmon industry and reel in a killer... or a lover. She just hopes they're not the same man.
"Beck tells a story with a compelling narrative drive."
CHICAGO TRIBUNE "Jane da Silva's character is made of just the right proportions of cynicism, good humor, avarice, determination, and resourcefulness."
DENVER POST
"A fresh and cockeyed look at the way an amateur sleuth can be invented."
MURDER AD LIB
"Jane da Silva is the kind of woman you wouldn't mind having a long cup of coffee with on a rainy day."
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
"Beck is a mystery writer with a splendid gift for spinning out a story that catches up the reader, with a mesmerizing fascination for plot and character that stands her in the company of the Agatha Christies and Conan Doyles of the mystery tradition."
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"Beck is a charming storyteller with a lively sense of humor."