Ring of Truth

Sex, violence, evil, and betrayal -- the shocking murder case splashed across the Florida headlines has all the right elements for true-crime writer Marie Lightfoot's next bestseller. And tell the tale she does, in a book that reveals the secrets of a love affair gone fatally wrong. But there are disturbing twists, which leave Marie sensing in her gut that something does not jibe.Twist number one: the accused is a man of the cloth, who has allegedly killed his wife in collusion with his lover. Twist number two: a pair of young girls find the body in an abandoned mansion, adding the death of innocence to the magnitude of the crime. Twist number three: a shattering conviction turns the case on its ear. And the ultimate blow: for the first time in her career, Marie fails to win the the killer's confidence during a jailhouse interview. Suddenly, she knows with certainty there ia more to the story than evensherealized -- and her conscience won't let her rest.Then an unexpected visitor -- a shock in itself for the reclusive writer -- confesses something that not even the police know. The revelation may he the missing piece in a terrifying puzzle -- evidence that teaches Marie a bone-chilling lesson as threatening danger slowly encircles her: to err is human, but underestimating the criminal mind can be deadly.Nancy Pickard premiered gutsy Marie Lightfoot in the national bestsellerThe Whole Truth,and kicked off a thrilling new series with "an intriguing story, fascinatingly told"(The Philadelphia Inquirer).Now, Pickard once again "pushes the presumed limits of [crime fiction]"(Los Angeles Times)as she sends this complex heroine into a jagged maze with one destination: the darkest realm of human nature.

<b>Nancy Pickard,</b> creator of the acclaimed Jenny Cain mystery series, won the Anthony Award for <i>Say No to Murder,</i> a Macavity Award for <i>Marriage Is Murder,</i> and two Agatha Awards for Best Novel, for <I>Bum Steer</i> in 1990 and <i>I.O.U</i> in 1991. Her first Marie Lightfoot mystery, <i>The Whole Truth</i> was a national bestseller. A former reporter and editor, she is a past president of Sisters in Crime. She divides her time between Kansas and Florida.