Publisher's Synopsis
During the mayor's yearly banquet for the village council of Haver Hamlet, tragedy strikes when the mayor unexpectedly dies. When Sheriff James hears the cause is poison, he questions the village council for clues, and long-hidden secrets are exposed.
Lady Ellene offers the mayor's young widow, Marguerite, refuge when she must leave her late husband's estate. However, she has different plans when she sets her sights on Ellene's wealthy brother, Sir William.
Claiming to be the mayor's son, Carlos arrives in the village and demands his exclusive right to inherit the mayor's estate. The villagers believe he died in a shipwreck thirty years ago. While James seeks to confirm Carlos' identity, a gang of thieves attacks him. The council members vie with Carlos to become the next mayor of Haver Hamlet.
Include in the events a wagon of wine stolen from a warehouse and a prowler who attacks Marguerite. With deceit and betrayal swirling around them, James and Ellene find themselves pawns in a deadly game where the stakes could not be higher.
The tension rises as James and Ellene race against the clock to uncover the truth. With each clue they uncover, and every secret revealed, the truth seems more obscure. Will justice prevail as James fights against a web of manipulation, greed, and lust for power? Or will he succumb to the dark forces that threaten to consume him and his beloved Ellene?
