Lucky Stiff

There is what you believe, and then there is the truth. For Lillian Byrd, a chance encounter with an old friend means that everything she thought she knew about her shattered childhood is about to be revealed as a lie. One summer day when she was 12 years old, her best friend, Duane, left for summer camp. Later that night, flames ripped through the Polka Dot, a bar owned and run by Lillian's parents. Three bodies were found in the ashes: those of her mother, her father and Trix Hawley, a bartender and Lillian's frequent babysitter. Or so she has always thought. But Duane's story reveals something shocking. After summer camp, his father moved him to Florida, telling Duane that his mother had left, and for a short time Trix Hawley lived with them. Now Duane's father has disappeared as well. Who was the third body in the ashes of the Polka Dot? Was the fire an accident or arson? Where is Trix now? And where are Duane's mother and father? Lillian and Duane set out to find the truth about their parents, a truth that has been hidden well by members of both their families. The author of the best--selling mysteries "Holy Hell" and "Damn Straight" has crafted another nerve-tingling thriller rich with characterization, humor and humanity.Elizabeth Sims is the author of two previous Lillian Byrd crime stories, "Holy Hell" and "Damn Straight." She lives in Port Angeles, Wash.