Mrs. Coleman's husband, an engineer, has been missing for several days. Abigail Coleman asks Jacob Lawdon to find him. Though Lawdon, a PI in San Diego, usually doesn't track down missing husbands, he takes on the case because he's short of money. It turns out that not only Coleman, but also his secretary, Olivia Jackson, and her daughter, Emma, are missing. Before Lawdon comes across Coleman in a boathouse, which belongs to Mr. Jackson, Olivia's husband, he's knocked down by Jackson's gamekeeper, Taylor Moore. Coleman then tells Lawdon that he has an affair with Emma and that he's looking for Emma who'd run away after a quarrel. Though Lawdon has found Coleman, he keeps on looking for Olivia Jackson and her daughter. This leads him into a rehab center where Emma was treated for alcohol abuse, and to Mrs. Young whose son Mike is Emma's friend. By and by he finds out that all those people have a secret in common which dates back more than twenty years. Finally one of them dies a violent death. Jacob Lawdon is a great admirer of Philipp Marlow. Like him he's a PI and like him he tries to stick to a strict code of ethics, but fails from time to time. Though he sometimes is quite cynical and hardboiled, he's full of sympathy and compassion. He's both tough and sensitive. He tries to act with integrity, but he's witty and good with words. He does everything to find out the truth though he knows that often all attempts are in vain. He prefers tea to hard drinks, but pretends to prefer hard drinks to tea. He's not keen on money, though he's always short of money. And last but not least he tries to be honest with the reader.

Mrs. Coleman's husband, an engineer, has been missing for several days. Abigail Coleman asks Jacob Lawdon to find him. Though Lawdon, a PI in San Diego, usually doesn't track down missing husbands, he takes on the case because he's short of money. It turns out that not only Coleman, but also his secretary, Olivia Jackson, and her daughter, Emma, are missing. Before Lawdon comes across Coleman in a boathouse, which belongs to Mr. Jackson, Olivia's husband, he's knocked down by Jackson's gamekeeper, Taylor Moore. Coleman then tells Lawdon that he has an affair with Emma and that he's looking for Emma who'd run away after a quarrel. Though Lawdon has found Coleman, he keeps on looking for Olivia Jackson and her daughter. This leads him into a rehab center where Emma was treated for alcohol abuse, and to Mrs. Young whose son Mike is Emma's friend. By and by he finds out that all those people have a secret in common which dates back more than twenty years. Finally one of them dies a violent death. Jacob Lawdon is a great admirer of Philipp Marlow. Like him he's a PI and like him he tries to stick to a strict code of ethics, but fails from time to time. Though he sometimes is quite cynical and hardboiled, he's full of sympathy and compassion. He's both tough and sensitive. He tries to act with integrity, but he's witty and good with words. He does everything to find out the truth though he knows that often all attempts are in vain. He prefers tea to hard drinks, but pretends to prefer hard drinks to tea. He's not keen on money, though he's always short of money. And last but not least he tries to be honest with the reader.

A discontented little girl wishes to be turned into a gypsy, then a bird, and finally a fairy. But she discovers that she is happiest being herself.

From critically acclaimed historical novelist Diane Haeger comes The Ruby Ring, an unforgettable story of love, loss, and immortal genius . . . Rome, 1520. The Eternal City is in mourning. Raphael Sanzio, beloved painter and national hero, has died suddenly at the height of his fame. His body lies in state at the splendid marble Pantheon. At the nearby convent of Sant’Apollonia, a young woman comes to the Mother Superior, seeking refuge. She is Margherita Luti, a baker’s daughter from a humble neighborhood on the Tiber, now an outcast from Roman society, persecuted by powerful enemies within the Vatican. Margherita was Raphael’s beloved and appeared as the Madonna in many of his paintings. Theirs was a love for the ages. But now that Raphael is gone, the convent is her only hope of finding an honest and peaceful life. The Mother Superior agrees to admit Margherita to their order. But first, she must give up the ruby ring she wears on her left hand, the ring she had worn in Raphael’s scandalous nude “engagement portrait.” The ring has a storied past, and it must be returned to the Church or Margherita will be cast out into the streets. Behind the quiet walls of the convent, Margherita makes her decision . . . and remembers her life with Raphael—and the love and torment—embodied in that one precious jewel. In The Ruby Ring, Diane Haeger brings to life a love affair so passionate that it remains undimmed by time. Set in the sumptuous world of the Italian Renaissance, it’s the story of the clergymen, artists, rakes, and noblemen who made Raphael and Margherita’s world the most dynamic and decadent era in European history.