In the midst of Civil War, a Southern family hides its own deadly secrets in this gripping mystery from the recipient of the Edgar Grand Master Award.

Wealthy Northern heiress Sarah Salter has impulsively married dashing Confederate soldier Lucien Hugot. Now she's in New Orleans for a designated meeting—carrying contraband gold and medicine—but Lucien is nowhere to be found. Luckily, his half-brother finds Sarah and escorts her to the family's Mississippi plantation to await word from Lucien.

The Hugot family begrudgingly accepts Lucien's wife, a woman whose existence comes as a surprise. And in only a few weeks, Sarah finds herself admiring her new relatives for their stubborn courage. When Lucien finally returns, what should be a joyous reunion for Sarah instead plants seeds of doubt in her heart. Soon thereafter, Sarah finds her morning coffee laced with opium and has a close encounter with a poisonous snake, but her life isn't the only one in danger. In the chaos of war, with the Yankees advancing, anyone can get away with murder . . .

"Mignon can surprise you; you'll enjoy the puzzle." —The Providence Journal

"Excellent." —San Francisco Examiner

"She doesn't let her readers down in this one. There's a good measure of suspense, action, excitement and romance in the adventures of Sarah . . . It is definitely one of those 'I'll read one more chapter and stop.' Only you don't . . ." —Winston-Salem Journal

"After a wild and secret journey to her husband's plantation . . . Sarah finds herself involved not only in awkward family situations (including indecent proposals from the bridegroom's relatives) but in mysterious deaths as well." —Oakland Tribune