Harriet Rzetelny

Homecare worker Molly Lewin confronts two unexpected challenges: a client’s murder and the threatened conviction of his long-time companion, an old-time southern blues singer. She is incensed to discover that the murder may be tied to a scheme to drive out low-rent tenants and replace their homes with a shopping mall. Adding to her difficulties are the uncertain fate of her brilliant but schizophrenic brother, Ben, and her ambiguous relationship with Steve Carmaggio, the detective on the case, a recovering alcoholic who is struggling with his own shattered life. This multi-layered mystery is set in a fictitious Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood less than two years following the World Trace Center disaster. Looming over the horizon, just behind the reader’s view, are the ghosts of the twin towers, a symbol to Molly of all that she and the city that she loves have lost. In the end, it is Molly’s passion for music, especially old jazz and blues, together with a cast of humorous, quirky and often quite surprising characters that help her to unravel the mystery and find the solution she seeks.