emerald Author:Phylis A. Whitney Heroine Carol Hamilton goes to the intriguing, subtly shadowed world of Palm Springs, California, where a secret reaching back into Hollywood history is about to explode with consequences menacing many lives. The names of Monica Arlen and Saxon Scott have spelled magic in Carol ever since the days when she watched their marvelous old movies bein... more »g replayed on television. When flight with her small son is Carol's only refuge from her husbands savage threats, her great-aunt Monica Arlen seems her one sanctuary.Instead, she finds unexpected danger, as well as unexpected love. The drama of Monica and Saxon, created so tragically in the past, must be played out again in the present with Carol the frightened and unwilling catalyst, fighting for her own life, and for the safety and well-being of her son. As always Phyllis Whitney's novels, the setting itself--here rich in the colors of mountain and desert--brecomes an important element in the story, lending itself to tension as Carol must explore the past to find the revealing present. Surprise, too, is Miss Whitney's forte, and Emeral contains so much of this element that it is a book many readers will want to read.« less