False Profits — Patricia Smiley

Divorced management consultant Tucker Sinclair is on the fast track for a partnership at Aames & Associates. Sharing her just-north-of-Malibu-Beach cottage with her eccentric mother and a very annoying West Highland Terrier, Tucker gets a shot at what may be the deal-maker of her career.

But the project quickly sours when her business plan disappears and Tucker's accused of bilking L.A.'s moneymen out of millions of dollars. Add a washed-up corpse on Venice Beach and a sexy detective sniffing for clues, and she's suddenly scrambling to save her reputation and career. Hitting the road in her silver Porsche, Tucker has to outfox pissed-off investors -- and an unscrupulous murderer gunning for the highest stakes. And if she fails to survive the deadly jungle of spreadsheets and business models, this deal-maker will be a done deal.