Missing in Fairhope - Branch, M. V.

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Résumé :
Missing in Fairhope is all about Audrey Baxter who doesn't look for trouble. But it targets her, finds her when she least expects it. Her profession as a surgical nurse dedicated to helping others is most rewarding. However, in her new location, she would welcome some free time in which she might live her life unhampered by the troubles of others, which lead her into danger. Fleeing her past, she is a new identity, a new personality in a strange, new town in which she can start her young life anew. She is surprised by how much she likes her new location, where authorities placed her. Fairhope, Alabama is a quaint, Southern town with homes and shops showing character and individualism. Audrey loved it at first sight, and welcomes the seemingly peaceful atmosphere. But alas! Before she hardly has time to unpack, she learns that the first friend she's made since being here has big trouble! Mandy as Audrey knows her, has collapsed into a coma at Thomas Hospital, where Audrey is employed. This happened after Mandy or Amanda Forester received terrifying news. Missing is Amanda Forester's great-granddaughter, Suzy. Mandy is Fairhope's wealthy matriarch, who lives in a mansion on the bluff overlooking Mobile Bay. Audrey's super-sleuth instincts kick in as she plans steps to take in solving this mystery. Henrietta Johnson, a young, light-colored, black woman working as a computer operator at the Grand Hotel joins her in the search. Henrietta is the daughter of Walter Johnson, employed for years by Mrs. Forester as a gardener/handyman. Walter, sent to pick up Suzy at Mobile's airport, is told by authorities there that the child has been claimed by a look-alike Mrs. Forester with correct identification. On the causeway driving back to Fairhope, Walter insists a bat attacked his windshield, causing his car to run into a ditch. He is hospitalized with bumps, bruises and an extremely-low blood count. Later, others in Fairhope fall prey to this strange malady, including Audrey. Meantime while settling in Fairhope, Audrey wonders if there is some magical ingredient in the water, for she is surrounded by extraordinarily handsome men. First is demanding neurosurgeon, Dr. Alex Poynter, the primary one she assists in O.R., and two detectives, Miller and Dennis. These two detectives question her actions in Suzy's kidnapping and in the vampire bat incidents. Most magnificent looking of all is her next-door neighbor, Baffling Batt Mann, who performs a magic/mindreading act at The Pub. He befriends her and seems highly protective, but she begins to wonder if he is friend or fiend. For those with a romantic bent and love of intrigue without the gore of current vampire fiction, this could be your answer to receiving a chill from the possibility of the super-natural. Look for the next Audrey Baxter mystery.