Professor Jason Larson ("Lars"), a scholar of Romantic and Victorian poetry at a prestigious Connecticut university, has an unusual way of looking at the world. He sees romance and beauty everywhere and lives life to the fullest. He treasures every moment with his family, every sunset—and every beautiful coed who comes his way. Young Iris Weed, a modern-day Thoreau (or so she would like to think), approaches Lars with a novel idea for an independent study: she wants to live in her truck for an entire semester, stripped of possessions and modern-day conveniences, and document her experience in a journal intended for publication. Smitten by Iris' ambition, as well as her ivory skin and literary flair, Lars agrees to become her advisor, and everything goes swimmingly.Until Iris is killed in a vicious attack in a parking lot. And Lars, last seen arguing with Iris near the murder scene, is left holding the journal.
Author
Janice Law (b. 1941) is an acclaimed author of mystery fiction. The Watergate scandal inspired her to write her first novel, The Big Payoff (1977), which introduced Anna Peters, a street-smart young woman who blackmails her boss, a corrupt oil executive. The novel was a success, winning an Edgar nomination, and Law went on to write eight more in the series, including Death Under Par (1980) and Cross-Check (1997). After Death Under Par, Law set aside the character for several years to write historical mysteries The Countess (1989) and All the King’s Ladies (1986). After concluding the Peters series, she wrote three stand-alone suspense novels: The Night Bus (2000), The Lost Diaries of Iris Weed (2002), and Voices (2003). Since then, Law has focused on writing short stories, many of which appear in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Fires of London (2012) is her most recent novel. She lives and writes in Connecticut.
