House of Smoke Author:J. F. Freedman After a shattering hostage situation, Kate Blanchard leaves the Oakland Police Department and an abusive cop husband for what she hopes will be a quieter life as a private investigator in Santa Barbara. However, when Laura Sparks, the youngest of the aristocratic Sparks women, hires Kate to investigate her boyfriend's suicide, Kate discovers how... more » violent and deadly the rich and powerful can be. Their patronage extends from local politicians to multinationals. Drugs, land deals, murder for hire, the Mexican mafia, and Vegas highfliers -- all seem to have some bearing on this simple suicide.« less