Picnic in Eden — Martha Moffett

Molly's extravagantly handsome husband Fielding is a drifter, and he drifts out of her life, leaving her with debts and a young son. An art dealer makes her an offer: If she will let him hang paintings in her secure, light-filled apartment for his private clients, he'll pay her well. "All you have to do is put out the sherry," he tells her. As masterpieces come to hang on her walls and strangers cross her doorway, Molly is drawn into a dangerous game. The other players are the missing husband Fee, Magnus, the charming con man who has an easy answer to every objection, and John Wren, the tender-hearted older man who would save Molly if he could. But Molly has to save herself. One day the paintings are missing, and her young son taken. Soon after, she finds herself holding the key to the future. This suspense story plays out in Manhattan and an old apple farm up the Hudson, a would-be Eden that becomes a tragic stage for love, deception, theft and betrayal. Reviewer Tammy Grant, InD'tale Magazine, says "Crisp, elegant prose ... lyrical in places, spare and desolate in others, draws the reader in from the first line and doesn't let go until the very last word. Highly recommended."