Princess Lily: A Quick Study in Murder

Lily Sutter moves to Montecito, hires lawyer Joe Costa to find her office space, and through him meets a few local socialites. Young, attractive, charming, and shrewd, she quickly networks her way into the social scene, finds well-heeled investors for the high yield securities she sells. She befriends Vergie Hove, a wealthy heiress with a philandering husband and alcohol and drug addictions, helps her bring order to her life. Complications ensue when the FBI investigates Lily's business, her ex-fiancee is murdered, two ... Read More

Lily Sutter moves to Montecito, hires lawyer Joe Costa to find her office space, and through him meets a few local socialites. Young, attractive, charming, and shrewd, she quickly networks her way into the social scene, finds well-heeled investors for the high yield securities she sells. She befriends Vergie Hove, a wealthy heiress with a philandering husband and alcohol and drug addictions, helps her bring order to her life. Complications ensue when the FBI investigates Lily's business, her ex-fiancee is murdered, two Vergie relatives die accidental deaths, and a mobster and hit man come looking for her. A former mentor says of Lily, "She's a master . . . a prodigy . . . a quick study, fine actress, knew what game we were playing . . . learned what she does from someone skilled, probably a whole family, maybe a tribe."Note to readers: This is the fourth Joe Costa novel. In time sequence, it follows the first (Joey Costa's New Game) and precedes Joe Costa's Lonely Hearts. Some Kind of Genius is the last in the series so far. Read Less