WHAT IF AN UNDERGROUND POLITICAL GROUP TRIED TO RECRUIT FOXY BROWN, PhD…?

Elegant Havilah Gaie is a worldly academic female sleuth who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Whiting’s breezy, sophisticated style keeps Havilah right in step with her self-image as “an academic version of Pam Grier’s characters: smart, quick on their feet, loyal with a keen sense of purpose.” She solves her mysteries with a blend of action and zee justly famous leetle gray cells. And ooo la-la! She is so à la mode! Like Parisian women, she always has just the right accessories stashed in her bag—pumps, scarf, a thick tome of intellectual erotica which doubles as a weapon…and she’s always ready for a quick change of international locale—this time from Paris to Venice, with a surprise journey on a famous train!

When a right-wing media personality is fished out of the Seine, two extremist factions start shooting at each other. Havilah, aka La Belle Américaine, has become a darling of the Parisian media, cast in the role of the voice of the left-wing American intellectual. Both groups try to use her as a pawn in the power struggle, and, after two more killings occur in her very presence, she becomes a suspect as well as a target.

Protection is close at hand, however, in the person of her current romantic interest, Thierry Gasquet, the handsome and debonair French police agent who protected her as a key witness during a murder investigation three months earlier..

Just as things are reaching the boiling point, Havilah’s Aunt Neet arrives in Paris for a visit. Classy, charming, and wise, she leaves the detecting to Havilah and Thierry, but takes Havilah’s life firmly in hand.

Everybody should have an Aunt Neet. She rolls (stylishly) with every punch, shooting, and change of venue, as Havilah and Thierry, now unsure of whom to trust in his agency, work together to solve the mystery—and do a little asskicking.

Sassy, savvy Havilah Gaie will appeal to fans of Attica Locke and of African-American sleuths like Charlotte Justice, Talba Walllis, Tamara Hayle, and especially Frankie Bailey’s Professor Lizzie Stuart—not to mention fans of Pam Grier! Set in Paris and Venice with a surprise journey on the Orient Express, this perfect blend of cozy mystery and action-adventure thriller will also delight those who enjoy international locales.