Whitney's new novel takes place in Harper's Ferry, where a young woman discovers a family her mother has kept secret throughout her life. Lacy Elliot reads a letter addressed to her mother in order to protect her during convalescence, only to discover a family she has never known. The letter is a plea for help, and Lacy responds by showing up in Harper's Ferry in her mother's stead. She falls in love with a writer whom she meets on the ferry and is introduced to an aunt, her great-grandmother, and cousins, while learning of her father's unsolved murder. The tension from that long-ago incident is revived by the reappearance of the major suspect, her grandfather. Whitney lives up to her reputation with this contemporary romance steeped in American history. ~--Denise Perry Donavin

A not surprisingly neat recovery from the over-dense Star Flight (1993), by the empress of old-time cliff-edged suspense. Whitney guides the reader through a new setting (here Harpers Ferry, W.Va., of John Brown fame); and she crowds in enough domestic secrets (and two murders) to hogtie any family. Lacey Elliot, a successful illustrator, was raised by her mother, Amelia, in Virginia, never knowing who or where her father was. But when Amelia, ill after surgery, receives a frightened letter from her great-aunt Vinnie, Lacey goes in her mother's place to Harpers Ferry. There's a veritable explosion of family: Vinnie, the fierce great-grandmother who lives with strong-willed housekeeper Anne- Marie; Aunt Ardra, Amelia's sister; Lacey's half-sister, Carla, and her small son, Egan. Most impressive is the man all seem to fear- -Grandfather Daniel Griffin, a John Brown look-alike with a power beard and a commanding manner. Oh yes, there's drunken Uncle Henry, too, the brother of Lacey's father, Brad--who for some years has been dead as a doornail. Brad, it seems, was the charming rogue who had an affair with Ardra while married to Amelia, thereby producing Carla. It was Daniel, father of Amelia and Ardra, who left town suspected of Brad's murder. On the very offshore island where Brad died, now Uncle Henry will buy the farm. But why is Old Vinnie's cane, found in her garden, covered with blood? While Lacey enjoys the help of nice teacher Ryan, there is a bevy of fess-up talks with family members--and a room in the old house haunted by memories of an old tragedy at the time of the Civil War. Whodunit? Veterans of the Whitney method might guess.

In Whitney's latest tale, Lacey Elliot finally discovers that the father who has been missing most of her life was actually murdered and that his murderer may be close at hand. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

YA‘A light, fast-paced mystery. Lacey returns to the town of her birth, Harper's Ferry, WV, and becomes involved in trying to learn who killed her father 30 years ago. The multifaceted plot is further enriched (and complicated) by flashbacks to the Civil War, as ancestors motivate contemporary characters' actions. (It's unfortunate that there's no family tree to help keep characters in their proper time period.) Only Lacey's personality is fully developed. Although keeping the time periods straight may challenge some readers, this quick read provides a look at Harper's Ferry's key role in the preliminary days of the Civil War.‘Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Once again thrusting her trademark likable heroine into a murky situation, this veteran author comes up with a better than average mystery/romance. After receiving an urgent letter, children's-book author Lacey Elliott rushes from her Virginia home to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., hoping to uncover the truth about her father's murder. She encounters an assortment of relatives: great-aunt Vinnie, who harbors a secret; grandfather Daniel, who was suspected of the murder; a half-sister, Caryl, and her young son Egan; great-grandmother Lacey; and Henry Elliot, her father's strange, drunkard brother. She also meets handsome history professor Ryan Pearce-their blossoming romance is chastely indicated by a few innocent kisses. The mystery is heightened by the presence of a few Civil War ghosts who ultimately shed light on the killing. Whitney depicts both the town itself and the raid conducted there by abolitionist John Brown (as narrated by one of the characters) with her customary attention to background details. Suspense fans will be caught up in this yarn's myriad plot twists, which culminate in a gratifying surprise ending. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved