FIRE WAS CREEPING CLOSER to Melora's comfortable world the day the violent earthquake turned beautiful San Francisco into a burning, smoky nightmare. Melora had been ready to make a crucial decision about her life and her love - her thoughts were swirling with handsome Quent Seymour of Nob Hill. BUT FATE HAD ANOTHER PLAN. Amid the angry red flames of a crumbling city, exciting, impetuous Tony Ellis appeared - and suddenly Melora found herself plunged into a whirlpool of romantic conflict from which there was only one secret escape. That secret was locked in her heart...
Author
Phyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics". She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.
