Million Dollar Baby by Amy Patricia Hauck

About the book

The year is nineteen thirty-five when Creighton Ashcroft, a dashing British millionaire, leaves New York City for a mansion in the sleepy town of Ridgebury, Connecticut. However, his dreams of a peaceful existence are shattered when a body, an apparent victim of foul play, is discovered buried upon the grounds of the estate. Police conclude it is the body of Victor Bartorelli, gardener to Henry and Gloria Van Allen, the home's previous owners. Bartorelli had disappeared five years earlier, and what more, his disappearance and subsequent murder occurred only weeks after Henry Van Allen's apparent suicide. Are the two linked? After local mystery author Marjorie McClelland notes some inconsistencies in the Van Allen "suicide" theory, Detective Robert Jameson dispatches the couple to find the truth.

With his society connections, Creighton moves easily within the Van Allen's high-society world. Together with Marjorie, with whom he has fallen hopelessly in love, he uncovers several suspects, including Henry's ne'er-do-well brother, William, a lovesick secretary, and a cantankerous shopkeeper. The couple also learns of Henry's affair with Stella Munson, one of his servants who has since committed suicide. Just days before his death, Henry had asked his wife for a divorce so that he could marry Stella. This information, combined with evidence that Gloria, along with Henry's former business manager, Roger Philips, had been embezzling from the family business, leads to the widow's arrest.

Then John Stafford, Stella Munson's brother-in-law, turns up dead. As Marjorie cares for Mary, Stafford's orphaned daughter, Jameson and Creighton retreat to police headquarters to reevaluate the case. It is there that they realize that Mary is actually the illegitimate child of Stella Munson, and, possibly the product of her affair with Henry Van Allen. They rush to share the information with Marjorie, but she has already begun to unravel a different facet of the mystery, and in her excitement, has traveled, with Mary, to Creighton's estate to share her news. Creighton is not at the estate, but the murderer is: William Van Allen. Having learned of Stella's pregnancy and fearful that an heir may cause his brother to rethink the terms of his will, William killed Henry and then murdered Bartorelli, who had witnessed the crime.

After his startling confession, William announces his plans to kill both Marjorie and Mary. Marjorie struggles with her would-be murderer, and ends up being seriously injured, but she has bought enough time for Mary to make her escape and for Creighton and Jameson to arrive at the house. Jameson pursues William and shoots and kills him. Marjorie recuperates, but her heart belongs to Jameson .. at least for now.

About the author

Amy Patricia Hauck was born and raised on Long Island, New York. After attending Adelphi University on a full scholarship, she transferred to New York Institute of Technology, where she completed her bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts. Upon graduation, she began working for a document imaging company in the role of operations manager. It was a position that provided Amy with a strong background in the area of technical writing, as well as a great deal of insight into human nature.

Amy, is a lover of animals, travel, history, needlework and cooking. She lives in Long Island and is a member of Sisters in Crime.