A Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler Mystery
3 total works
Life in Bodega Bay on the rugged, foggy coast of northern California has been pretty quiet since Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds there. But antiques dealer Toby Sandler learns that his new business partner Charlie has been found dead on an abandoned boat in the harbor. When the local sheriff discovers that Charlie's newly acquired Hitchcock artifacts and a painting of an angel are missing, he enlists Toby and his wife, Nora Barnes, an art historian, in the investigation.
Local tales about Hitchcock's famous film, and some digging into the region's past as a Russian outpost, provide Toby and Nora with clues to the existence of a lost masterpiece. Convinced that this forgotten work may hold the key to the murder, Nora and Toby set out to find it. When Nora's trouble-prone sister Angie arrives, events take a surprising turn, leading to the uncanny realm of angel reading and putting Nora and her family in danger. As Nora and Toby investigate matters both criminal and otherworldly, Nora realizes that some mysteries in life may be too deep to solve.
Local tales about Hitchcock's famous film, and some digging into the region's past as a Russian outpost, provide Toby and Nora with clues to the existence of a lost masterpiece. Convinced that this forgotten work may hold the key to the murder, Nora and Toby set out to find it. When Nora's trouble-prone sister Angie arrives, events take a surprising turn, leading to the uncanny realm of angel reading and putting Nora and her family in danger. As Nora and Toby investigate matters both criminal and otherworldly, Nora realizes that some mysteries in life may be too deep to solve.
Art historian Nora Barnes and her husband, Toby Sandler, are visiting West Ireland for a family reunion. During a morning walk through a deserted village on Achill Island, Nora stumbles upon a body—her notorious uncle Bert. When a clue singles out her mother as the likely suspect, Nora and Toby are on the case to clear her name. Whether in a barroom brawl or the sauna of a swingers’ club, Toby has Nora’s back. As they search, the dead of Achill seem to speak from graveyards, ruined churches, and megalithic tombs. A second murder makes it all the more difficult to connect the dots. And when Nora and Toby become the next targets, their own survival is at stake.
Amateur sleuths Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler find themselves caught up in a labyrinth of speculation when they arrive at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for Nora’s faculty exchange. Campus police are baffled by the discovery of human remains in the attic of the university’s administration building. Nora connects the bones to the Vietnam-era bombing of Sterling Hall, but someone doesn’t want her probing the past. She’s side-swiped by a car while riding a bicycle and almost crushed in the art library’s motorized book stacks. Meanwhile, Toby is hot on the trail of lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Inspired by an event that traumatized Madison and shocked the nation, Draine and Hinden interweave fact and fiction to create an intricate novel sure to delight both mystery enthusiasts and UW alumni.
Inspired by an event that traumatized Madison and shocked the nation, Draine and Hinden interweave fact and fiction to create an intricate novel sure to delight both mystery enthusiasts and UW alumni.