Like many women of her generation, Freddie Satterbee Haven was widowed by WWII and returned to the New York City home of her father, Retired Admiral Satterbee. Motherless from an early age, she and her father are unusually close. When she becomes engaged to U.S. Senator Bruce Kirkhill, her father's protective instincts shift into high gear. Like many military men he distrusts politicians. But is there really something shady about the popular, powerful senator or would Freddie's father resent anyone she marries?
Senator Kirkhill is a widower himself with a daughter not much younger than Freddie. The two women are friendly and Freddie Haven has the looks and social savvy to thrive in the national political arena. Celia is also motherless and she and her father are devoted to each other, but now she's engaged to a nice young man and will soon be independent. Friends and relatives are gathered at the Satterbee apartment to ring in the new year, but the senator never shows up.
A few hours later, his body is discovered slumped in a doorway in a run-down neighborhood. To add to the mystery, the wealthy senator is dressed in the shabby clothes of a derelict. Who has he gone to meet and why is he in disguise?
Pam and Jerry North have been invited to the party by Admiral Satterbee, who's written a book being published by Jerry's firm. Something about Mrs. North's sympathetic, slightly eccentric personality appeals to Freddie and when she realizes that Bruce Kirkhill's death could involve her family in scandal and heartbreak, she turns to Pam North for help. She knows that her father was mistrustful of Kirkhill and a terse conversation overheard on the phone leads her to believe that he may know something about the mysterious death. She's determined to shield her father from suspicion.
The Senator's life and death prove to be quite complicated. His former mistress is a gorgeous model who planned to leverage her position into a prestigious marriage. Was she willing to kill Kirkhill rather than lose him to another woman? His alcoholic brother has been a problem for years. Was he trying to blackmail his successful brother and did their meeting result in murder?
Then there's his fervent support for a government utilities project that powerful energy companies see as a threat. The owner of the biggest company is the father of the young man who's engaged to Celia Kirkhill. There are rumors that the senator is playing a dangerous game - accepting money from the corporations in exchange for eventually reversing his position on the project. His loyal assistant Howard Phipps swears that Kirkhill was an honest man, but who's been pocketing those kick-backs?
Of course, Pam North has her own theory, but can she convince her friend Lt. Bill Weigand of the NYPD? In addition to Weigand and his usual sidekick Sgt. Mullins, this book introduces a new policeman. Sgt. William Blake is handsome, smooth, and very attracted to beautiful Freddie Haven. In the end, a trap must be laid and both Freddie and Pam are put into danger to expose a killer who's determined to frame someone else for his crime. As Pam North says disapprovingly, "That's DISHONEST!"
Like all the Mr and Mrs North books, this one is well-written and witty. The authors loved New York City and in their skillful hands, the Big Apple becomes part of the story. Their books take us back in time and allow us to experience life in the aftermath of WWII.
Senator Kirkhill is a widower himself with a daughter not much younger than Freddie. The two women are friendly and Freddie Haven has the looks and social savvy to thrive in the national political arena. Celia is also motherless and she and her father are devoted to each other, but now she's engaged to a nice young man and will soon be independent. Friends and relatives are gathered at the Satterbee apartment to ring in the new year, but the senator never shows up.
A few hours later, his body is discovered slumped in a doorway in a run-down neighborhood. To add to the mystery, the wealthy senator is dressed in the shabby clothes of a derelict. Who has he gone to meet and why is he in disguise?
Pam and Jerry North have been invited to the party by Admiral Satterbee, who's written a book being published by Jerry's firm. Something about Mrs. North's sympathetic, slightly eccentric personality appeals to Freddie and when she realizes that Bruce Kirkhill's death could involve her family in scandal and heartbreak, she turns to Pam North for help. She knows that her father was mistrustful of Kirkhill and a terse conversation overheard on the phone leads her to believe that he may know something about the mysterious death. She's determined to shield her father from suspicion.
The Senator's life and death prove to be quite complicated. His former mistress is a gorgeous model who planned to leverage her position into a prestigious marriage. Was she willing to kill Kirkhill rather than lose him to another woman? His alcoholic brother has been a problem for years. Was he trying to blackmail his successful brother and did their meeting result in murder?
Then there's his fervent support for a government utilities project that powerful energy companies see as a threat. The owner of the biggest company is the father of the young man who's engaged to Celia Kirkhill. There are rumors that the senator is playing a dangerous game - accepting money from the corporations in exchange for eventually reversing his position on the project. His loyal assistant Howard Phipps swears that Kirkhill was an honest man, but who's been pocketing those kick-backs?
Of course, Pam North has her own theory, but can she convince her friend Lt. Bill Weigand of the NYPD? In addition to Weigand and his usual sidekick Sgt. Mullins, this book introduces a new policeman. Sgt. William Blake is handsome, smooth, and very attracted to beautiful Freddie Haven. In the end, a trap must be laid and both Freddie and Pam are put into danger to expose a killer who's determined to frame someone else for his crime. As Pam North says disapprovingly, "That's DISHONEST!"
Like all the Mr and Mrs North books, this one is well-written and witty. The authors loved New York City and in their skillful hands, the Big Apple becomes part of the story. Their books take us back in time and allow us to experience life in the aftermath of WWII.
