The Dordogne Deception

Book excerpt: Ambushed: a twenty-year marriage dissolved. Ambushed: a high-profile executive career hanging precariously by a thread. Ambushed: a seemingly perfect life. Stunned, beautiful and successful Silicon Valley executive Cherise Eden never saw her divorce coming. With a lucrative payout from her job, she flees San Francisco to start a new life in the Dordogne region of France. As the new owner of a posh bed and breakfast, Chateau Roufillay, she meets seductive and irresistible Francois Delacroix, a guest at the castle who sweeps emotionally fragile Cherise off her feet while unaware of his dark past. Retired Scotland Yard detective Brett Maxfield discovers his old friend, Sir Raleigh Aubrey died gruesomelyhis wheelchair plummeting down the grand staircase of his manor home, Brightingham. Or, was he pushed? Determined, Brett resolves to unravel the mystery, following the trail of bizarre clues from England to Switzerland and Bordeaux, ultimately leading to Roufillay. Lives, lies and lust intertwine as danger approaches. Trapped and frantic, Cherise needs an ally. But can she trust Brett?