cover image Dreams of the Dead

Dreams of the Dead

Perri O'Shaughnessy. S&S/Gallery, $25 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4165-4973-4

O'Shaughnessy's suspenseful 13th Nina Reilly novel (after Show No Fear) revisits one of the most painful episodes in the Lake Tahoe attorney's life. Philip Strong arrives one day at Nina's office with some disturbing news related to his son Jim. Two years earlier, Jim murdered his wife after finding out that she had had an affair with Philip; Jim also killed Nina's husband, then vanished and was believed dead. Philip has now managed to line up a buyer for his struggling family lodge business, but at the 11th hour, an affidavit was filed to block the sale%E2%80%94by Jim, who's apparently alive and well in Brazil. Philip wants Nina to prove the affidavit is a fraud. Suspecting the signature on the document is phony, Nina maneuvers to buy her client time so that she can investigate the matter. Two brutal murders possibly related to the Strong family up the ante. This solid page-turner packs more than one surprise. (July)