"Shaber does a fine job portraying the plight of alien residents in wartime Washington, besides conveying the hectic atmosphere of a city whose resources are stretched to the limit by an influx of new workers" Publishers Weekly Starred Review When a body is discovered in a Washington bar, Government girl Louise Pearlie is forced into a role of lies and deception. On a bitterly cold night in December 1943, Government girl Louise Pearlie and her friend Joe Prager are enjoying a quiet drink in the Baron Steuben Inn when a bloodstained body is discovered behind the bar. Although the victim had been a regular customer, no one seems to know anything about him. When it turns out there is a link to Louise's top-secret work at the OSS, she is ordered to find out as much as possible about the murder while keeping the connection secret from those involved, including the investigating police detective. Although Louise has been trained to keep secrets, the constant deception takes its toll - especially when she discovers that she's not the only customer at the Steuben that night with something to hide. Will Louise's silence result in an innocent man being arrested for murder?

The first in a new series from the author of the 'Simon Shaw' books - 1942. Louise Pearlie, a young widow, has come to Washington DC to work as a clerk for the legendary OSS, the precursor to the CIA. When, while filing, she discovers a document concerning the husband of a college friend, Rachel Bloch, - a young French Jewish woman she is desperately worried about - Louise realizes she may be able to help get Rachel out of Vichy France. But then a colleague whose help Louise has enlisted is murdered, and she realizes she is on her own, unable to trust anyone . . .

Young widow Louise Pearlie seizes a chance to escape the typewriters and files of the Office of Strategic Services, the US s World War II spy agency, when she s asked to investigate a puzzling postcard referred to OSS by the US Censor. She and a colleague, Collins, head off to St. Leonard, Maryland, to talk to the postcard s recipient, one Leroy Martin. But what seemed like a straightforward mission to Louise soon becomes complicated.
Leroy and his wife, Anne, refuse to talk, but as Louise and Gray investigate, it soon becomes clear that Leroy is mixed up in something illegal. But what? Louise is determined to find out the truth, whatever the cost . . ."

Government girl Louise Pearlie is thrilled to be posted to London, but her journey across the Atlantic proves to be anything but plain sailing. February, 1944. Washington D.C. With the war entering its most dangerous phase, Louise Pearlie is thrilled to be reassigned to the London office of the OSS. But in order to take up her new post, she must make a perilous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in the SS Amelia Earhart. Accompanying her on the voyage to Liverpool are an eclectic group of passengers, including the aloof Blanche Bryant, whose husband, Eddie, died in mysterious circumstances on the ship's voyage out to New York three months before. Most of the same crew and passengers are on the return voyage, and one question remains: was it really suicide? When the body of one of the passengers is found on deck, it's clear that German bombs and raging storms aren't the only threats to Louise's safety. Can she expose a brutal killer before the ship docks in England?

"Shaber does a fine job portraying the plight of alien residents in wartime Washington, besides conveying the hectic atmosphere of a city whose resources are stretched to the limit by an influx of new workers" Publishers Weekly Starred Review When a body is discovered in a Washington bar, Government girl Louise Pearlie is forced into a role of lies and deception. On a bitterly cold night in December 1943, Government girl Louise Pearlie and her friend Joe Prager are enjoying a quiet drink in the Baron Steuben Inn when a bloodstained body is discovered behind the bar. Although the victim had been a regular customer, no one seems to know anything about him. When it turns out there is a link to Louise's top-secret work at the OSS, she is ordered to find out as much as possible about the murder while keeping the connection secret from those involved, including the investigating police detective. Although Louise has been trained to keep secrets, the constant deception takes its toll - especially when she discovers that she's not the only customer at the Steuben that night with something to hide. Will Louise's silence result in an innocent man being arrested for murder?

Government girl Louise Pearlie is thrilled to be posted to London, but her journey across the Atlantic proves to be anything but plain sailing. February, 1944. Washington D.C. With the war entering its most dangerous phase, Louise Pearlie is thrilled to be reassigned to the London office of the OSS. But in order to take up her new post, she must make a perilous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in the SS Amelia Earhart. Accompanying her on the voyage to Liverpool are an eclectic group of passengers, including the aloof Blanche Bryant, whose husband, Eddie, died in mysterious circumstances on the ship's voyage out to New York three months before. Most of the same crew and passengers are on the return voyage, and one question remains: was it really suicide? When the body of one of the passengers is found on deck, it's clear that German bombs and raging storms aren't the only threats to Louise's safety. Can she expose a brutal killer before the ship docks in England?

1940s, Washington DC. Government Girl Louise Pearlie is asked to review the file usage of a missing analyst from the Office of Strategic Services - the US's wartime intelligence agency - only to learn he'd drowned in the Tidal Basin days before. OSS confirm it was an accident, and Louise is sent back to her regular job in the file rooms. Her time spent investigating Paul Hughes at least has one positive outcome, though: Louise meets a young woman in the OSS Reading Room, who asks her to join her 'salon', where she is encouraged to talk about controversial issues like racial segregation and equal pay for women. Socializing with the women helps her cope with her beau Joe Prager's transfer to New York City. But Louise's life soon takes a dangerous and sinister turn, and she can't help but worry if she'll wind up floating in the Tidal Basin herself . . .

"Shaber does a fine job portraying the plight of alien residents in wartime Washington, besides conveying the hectic atmosphere of a city whose resources are stretched to the limit by an influx of new workers" Publishers Weekly Starred Review When a body is discovered in a Washington bar, Government girl Louise Pearlie is forced into a role of lies and deception. On a bitterly cold night in December 1943, Government girl Louise Pearlie and her friend Joe Prager are enjoying a quiet drink in the Baron Steuben Inn when a bloodstained body is discovered behind the bar. Although the victim had been a regular customer, no one seems to know anything about him. When it turns out there is a link to Louise's top-secret work at the OSS, she is ordered to find out as much as possible about the murder while keeping the connection secret from those involved, including the investigating police detective. Although Louise has been trained to keep secrets, the constant deception is taking its toll - especially when she discovers that she's not the only customer at the Steuben that night with something to hide. Will Louise's silence result in an innocent man being arrested for murder?

Deep in the woods beneath the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, a forest ranger finds the remains of a young woman who disappeared forty years ago, entombed in an old pickup truck. Back in Raleigh, the confessed killer, who is serving a life sentence for her murder, now asks Professor Simon Shaw to help prove his innocence. Reluctant to accept the case, but happy to escape the city's summer heat and his brewing romantic troubles, Shaw heads into the mountains to the scene of the crime--his hometown of Boone. Shaw puts old memories, small-town gossip, and obliging relatives to good use, but finds a surprising lack of evidence against Roy Freedman. What would drive a man to admit to a murder he didn't commit? Did Roy kill Eva Potter or was he a convenient scapegoat? A second murder disguised as an accident points Simon in the right direction, leading him to a stunning discovery hidden deep in the hills, to a secret worth lying--and killing--for.

From O. Henry to Lilian Jackson Braun, North Carolina has nurtured some of the world's best-known mystery writers. This unique collection of mystery short stories showcases some of North Carolina's best writing talent from the past and the present - some famous, some less well known. Some of the mysteries are by authors who have earned solid reputations in other genres, such as Orson Scott Card and William Brittain, but as their stories here demonstrate, their talent embraces the mysterious. The stories in this collection are as diverse as the ""detectives"" they feature: the Native American policeman who solves his first case on the reservation; a Siamese cat with an intuitive affection for his paraplegic neighbor; an attentive convenience store owner; and a thirty-year-old computer whiz whose body stopped growing when he was nine. They solve crimes, locate treasures, and uncover deceit in a range of tales that reflects the breadth of the genre. With stories to delight mystery devotees and fans of all good writing, this anthology highlights one of the most vibrant and popular elements of North Carolina's literary legacy.