Mary Anne Wilson, Discovering Duncan

Mary Anne Wilson, Discovering Duncan - In Los Angeles at the offices of Bishop International, Duncan Bishop and his father, CEO D.R., argue over destroying a family friend Gary Tellgare. The son tells his father if he fails to back off he will leave without a look back. However, the senior refuses to budge. Duncan walks out, leaving behind his only family member, a multimillion dollar business, and his girlfriend who dumped him for his actions.

Six months later, D.R. hires Sutton Agency to find his son. He informs their private investigator Lauren Carter that if she gets Duncan to come home willingly, he will pay for her to attend law school and more as she has dreamed of doing.

Lauren decides to start in Duncan's birthplace as many people go home when upset as he apparently was. In Silver Creek, Nevada, Lauren finds Duncan and soon they fall in love. However, she needs that bonus for more than just law school or even for herself, but also knows once he knows the truth he will never trust her again.

This fine, private investigative romance is a solid, contemporary tale due to the dilemma confronting Lauren between her beloved and her client, but made fuzzier by a late altruistic twist that seems too conveniently available to make Lauren seem less avaricious. Duncan is a delightful counterpart as he shows that sometimes the acorn falls far from the tree yet is as stubborn in his way as D.R. is. Mary Anne Wilson provides a fine story that readers will wonder which way the heroine will go.

Harriet Klausner