The Lemon Garden

In the best romance/thriller tradition, three-time British novelist Rossiter sets strong-willed, likable English actress Joanna Fleming a fascinating dual mystery to solve: after a car accident leaves her with amnesia, she must both recover her memory and find out who is so threatened by her lost knowledge as to want to kill her. In beautifully evoked Italian countryside, Joanna fights constant doubts about all that her elderly aunt Steffy, lover Roddy Marchant and director Frank Harmer tell her about her identity. She is especially suspicious of Steffy's intense, handsome and cynical stepson, journalist Angelo Valente. Certain objects and places--a single stud earring, a fancy gown, her aunt's fragrant lemon garden--trigger abject terror in Joanna, leading others to wonder if she's lost her wits. After Angelo saves her from a murder attempt, Joanna finally decides to trust him, and together they investigate a possible link between Joanna's accident and the murder of a female reporter whose body is found near Steffy's home. Drawn to the lemon garden to verify her own understanding of the past, Joanna at last completes the circle of memory. A gutsy heroine and a taut, psychologically suspenseful read. (July)