Marion Moore Hill, Deadly Will

Deadly Will

Marion Moore Hill

Pemberley, $17.95, Apr 2006

ISBN: 0977191311

In 1789, after seeing the will of his long time neighbor Ben Franklin, Nathan Henry, decides to emulate it, yet make some refinements to it; Dr. Franklin is impressed with the document, but warns his friend that he does not know what two centuries from now will bring. Still, Nathan bequests his worldly values upon his ancestors to be distributed upon the start of the new millennium. The will is iron clad.

In 2001 Texas, impoverished single mother Millie Kirchner and her son Danny receive a request from Henry's trustee attorney Arthur Pope to come to Philadelphia to learn about their inheritance. With Danny going off with the scouts, Millie is one of the nine other heirs to arrive. Being a history buff, she plans to see the city. However, her euphoria changes when she realizes someone is eliminating the heirs one at a time with a goal to be the sole beneficiary. Millie ponders fleeing for home, which she rules out, as the culprit could easily follow her and consequently get to Danny; so she risks her life in Philadelphia accompanied by another heir Scott Wyrick, making enquiries to uncover the identity of the killer before she and her son join the obituary column.

This Deadly Past Mystery is a fantastic blending of the past with the present using a will to make the connection. The storyline is fast-paced, yet insures the audience knows the heirs, and provides a tour of Philadelphia without slowing down the pace. Though the romance seems more a requirement, the amateur sleuth investigation is cleverly designed, leaving readers appreciating this refreshing homage to Christie's Ten Little Indians.