Cirrus@Austlit

'Marion Halligan at her lighthearted and wryly humorous best in a tale of mystery and murder, of beauty and yearning, and of a surprising love. A beautiful man, and all she can do is tinker with his prose. For Cassandra, an editor, books are easy. It's real life that's the challenge: it doesn't sit quietly and let itself be fixed. Right now Cassandra's life seems far too heavy on the suspense, while the romance is distinctly unconvincing. But that was before the murders started. And before she suspected that her own name was on the killer's hit list. Murder, match-making and the dark arts of book editing: The Apricot Colonel is Halligan at her light-hearted best.' (Publication summary)

'All is not as it seems in the calm, well-ordered streets of the nation's capital. After the turbulence of their courtship, Cassandra and the colonel have settled into wedded bliss - only to have it shattered by a death far too close to home. A friend's daughter is found dead from a drug overdose - a tragic suicide. But when her unfinished manuscript turns up containing an explosive expose of the local child prostitution scene, suicide turns to murder.

'With characteristic panache, much reading between the lines, and a magnificent wardrobe of women's clothes (his), Cassandra and her colonel set out to find the truth in this eagerly awaited sequel to The Apricot Colonel.' (Publisher's blurb)