The Second Son -- A Four Corners Mystery

After decades of working at it, Michael Novak has succeeded in leaving behind his childhood of living in the shadow of his twin brother. His family enabled his second-class status, and he still can’t forgive them for it. He’s finally succeeded in moving ahead by adopting the old adage that “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and choosing to live half a continent away from them and to minimize visits.

However, his idyllic bachelor existence as a professor living amidst the lush vineyards of Palisade on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River is turned topsy-turvy when his sister-in-law shows up on his doorstep one spring evening. She turns out not at all to be the buxom, bubble-headed bimbo he thought she was, which is a pleasant surprise. And the skill set she’s acquired from starring in movies made on the wrong side of the tracks is even more pleasant yet.

But when it becomes apparent that she’s involved in other activities on the wrong side of the tracks as well, the surprises take a turn for the worse. As law enforcement becomes part of his world and his idyllic existence begins to crumble, that old childhood shadow begins to seem cozy by comparison. And when his twin shows up to mend fences but things quickly unravel instead, Michael finds his world upside-down.