October 31, 1990
Under the Hadden pseudonym, Orania Papazoglou ( Sweet Savage Death ) introduces Gregor Demarkian, a retired FBI agent drawn into private sleuthing. Gregor has never met wealthy eccentric Robert Hannaford but has ample incentive (an offer of $100,000 for Gregor's church) to join Christmas Eve dinner at the Hannaford mansion. Show up, eat and take the money--that's it, says Robert. But when Gregor arrives, he finds Hannaford's corpse in the study. Robert had regarded his children as ``dangerous idiots,'' but which one might be dangerous enough to commit murder: Myra and Bobby, who are picking up spare cash through insider trading at Hannaford Financial; Teddy, about to be fired from his college teaching post for plagiarism and sexual harassment; this is correct/pk Bennis, the fantasy writer; Chris, who has to pay off a gambling debt of $75,000; Anne Marie, who has run the family house and cared for her chronically ill mother; or actress Emma, baby of the family, said to have already made an attempt on her father's life? This is a promising first volume in a series featuring Demarkian.