In a Hard Wind — David Housewright

Once a homicide detective in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rushmore McKenzie is, through a series of unlikely events, both a millionaire and an occasional private investigator. As an unofficial PI, McKenzie only looks into the occasional situation for friends or friends of friends.

Jeanette Carrell stretches McKenzie's guidelines but she's in a bind. She's been arrested, indicted, and about to go on trial for murder. The body of the victim was found buried in a shallow grave at the far edge of her property. The victim was not only a neighbor, he was real estate developer accused of tricking a man with dementia, a friend of Carrell's, into signing away his property for development, property that he'd worked to keep pristine. When the developer was last seen, Carrell was heard threatening to kill him. Even more damning, a potential witness swears she saw Carrell digging near the grave site shortly after the victim disappeared. The final nail in the proverbial coffin is her alibi -- she has none.

With all the evidence -- motive and means and opportunity -- pointing to her guilt, and precious little in her defense, perhaps the most confusing aspect is Carrell's calm attitude. Rushmore McKenzie is now faced with a challenging case -- how to protect Carrell and unearth the truth of what really happened when all the circumstantial evidence is against her.