Lester Webb's improbable rise from 'rags to riches', only made him more attractive to the Maffia.

Ultimately, Katz argues, the law, as well as our conscience, is surprisingly uninterested in final outcomes and astonishingly sensitive to how we get there, which is why sins of commission are so much more weighty than sins of omission.

In 1935, the Great Depression had driven Lester Webb into total poverty. Faced with starvation and without hope, he decided to end it all. As he was within seconds of pulling the trigger fate intervened and Lester suddenly came into possession of a great deal of money. But he could not spend a penny for fear of being caught by men who would kill him.

There are secrets in the sleepy town of Majic, where the past trips over the present ... and then looks the other way. The country town of Majic is about to celebrate a milestone. It's been 150 years since the founding father, Petar Majic, rode into the bush after a liquid lunch, vowing to build a house at whatever spot he reached by sunset. However, what happened next isn't quite what town legend would have you believe. A minor act of cemetery vandalism lands local columnist and amateur detective Nell Forrest right in the path of historical inevitability. An apparent murder-suicide leads to the unveiling of a century-old scandal and a trail left by a trio of long-dead women. Nell's investigations are hampered both by the arrival of the handsome district detective and by her family - whose dramas almost eclipse that of the town itself. With directionless daughters, unplanned pregnancies, a spot or two of adultery and an ex-husband who wants her house, Nell barely has time for the case, let alone the energy to keep her wits about her at the same time. And Nell will need her wits about her as the mystery of Majic begins casting its shadow into the present day, putting Nell and her family in grave danger. In the end, Nell must decide whether it is a tale of epic fortitude, or treachery and ill-gotten gains, before the past catches up with her. "Ill-Gotten Gains" is the second book in Ilsa Evans' Nell Forrest Mystery series. "Nefarious Doings "is the first.

"Truth has its consequences, and Johnnie has a lot to answer for. Her innocence is gone; all that remains is a self-absorbed, self-righteous courtesan who is now complicit in three murders. The cops are sure that Johnnie is involved, and they want answers"--Page 4 of cover.

An antique dealer stumbles upon the find of a lifetime, including an odd box, containing 30 ancient silver coins, that just might be cursed.