Stephanie Feagan, Show Her the Money

Stephanie Feagan, Show Her the Money - Senior manager Jane "Pink" Pearl testifies at a senatorial hearing that the memos she had were stolen along with all the backup disks except one. She vows to regain possession of the last set that proves Marvel Energy intended to commit fraud. The last set was inside a box sold to a family neighbor, Mrs. Bohannon, at a yard sale; Mrs. Bohannon is away on vacation. Senator Santorelli tells Pink to bring the evidence or else face prosecution as a chief auditor who hid the accounting scam.

Pink returns to her hometown of Midland, Texas, even as physical threats rise from the Doo Dog Stalker and others, and rumors abound of her sleeping with Santorelli. Her mother, who wants her to drop the case, provides her work as the only person who would hire her. She also gets her a new lawyer, Ed, who successfully sued Marvel Energy, and strongly encourages Pink to tell the truth. Ed and Pink start with respect that turns into love, but her life is on hold until she can exonerate herself at the senate hearing.

This intriguing, whistle-blowing romance taken from the headlines is a fine tale that grips the audience from the moment that Pink, trying to do the right thing, is treated as a pariah by Congress, the media, her former peers and associates, and the public. Many conclude she is a loose woman who performed the illegal acts or just a traitor to her employers. Thus, the storyline centers on Pink's struggles. The romance with her second lawyer Ed takes a backseat to the whistleblower treated like a criminal by almost everyone.

Silhouette Bombshell, Apr 2005, $4.50

ISBN: 0373513542

Harriet Klausner