An Untimely Frost

Set in Illinois in 1881, this riveting series launch from Richards (Wolf Creek Father) introduces plucky 22-year-old actress Lilly Long. One evening, Lilly returns to her Chicago boarding house to discover her husband of four months stealing her life's savings and roughing up her best friend. Lilly is forced to examine the reality of her times: it's a man's world. Women are undeservedly denied jobs, married women lose control of their money, and divorce leaves a lasting stain on a woman's good name. Lilly decides to change the direction of her life by applying for a job at the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Her first assignment%E2%80%94to trace the owner of an abandoned house%E2%80%94takes her to the small town of Vandalia, Ill. Strange undercurrents of sorrow and menace swirl around our intrepid heroine, drawing her into a vortex of cruelty and long-buried evil. Richards provides just the right amount of melodrama in this lively tale. Agent: Jim Hart, Hartline Literary. (Aug.)