The Sand Garden: A Dana Forsythe Mystery [B0638]

2023 PB. Dana Forsythe is a grieving widow and hard-nosed ex-policewoman who turns private eye after her cop husband Frank is killed on duty. She gets an even bigger shock when she learns Frank had twins with a secret mistress who's just been murdered. What's more, the orphaned twins are dropped off on Dana's patio in the middle of the night, then she's hired by an attorney to help defend the accused killer. She's plunged into an investigation that takes her deep into a world of wealth, privilege and murder in the glittering desert oasis of Palm Springs. Can she nail the real killer before he nails her?

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Good story...unusual twist right from the get-go. Made entire book quite interesting. Some unusual characters also. Enjoyable reading but a little gruesome!"; "I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book, it was much better than expected. It came to me as a recommendation and those types of books are often not what I want but this one was great, it held my attention from the beginning. The subject matter was somewhat different and the story provided several surprises. Great book."; "I loved the strong middle aged female protagonist whose life was upended by her husband's murder, infidelity, children, leaving law enforcement, starting a PI business and grieving. Loved the eclectic group of characters especially the mysterious Chaplain! Loved her K9! So many twists and turns! Happy Dana was able to have a relationship with the kids!"