"A suspenseful tale to keep one guessing"

Mici Smith is the attorney, and friend, handling the sudden death of Elinor Grace and the Grace family estate. Elinor's remaining family suspects there was foul play involved in her death, as she was a very healthy woman, expected to live several more years yet. At their request, Mici arranges an exhumation order so an autopsy can be performed on the body.

Dr. Rob Craig is the independent doctor hired by Mici to perform the autopsy. He is one of the best and what he uncovers is rather shocking. It turns out Elinor was murdered... by an overdose of nicotine; but when he and Mici take the autopsy results to the police, no one believes that Elinor was murdered. So they set out on their own to uncover the secrets behind this mystery.

Their first stop is Elinor's insurance provider, Life Benefits, where they start asking questions regarding Elinor's state of affairs and her insurance plan. The medical director, Dr. Eric Martin, there appears nervous when they arrive, making them suspect something. When his dead body turns up a few days later, right around the time a mysterious package, sent by Dr. Martin just before his death, is stolen from Rob's home, they know they are on the right track.

However, there are many unusual circumstances surrounding their investigation, throwing them for a loop. An intruder in Mici's home is the first, threatening her life, and that of Rob, if they continue looking into this issue. Also, some anonymous phone tips lead them in a totally different direction, making them suspect there may be more than one killer on the loose. Conflicting evidence, more suspicious deaths, and continued threats to Mici and Rob's safety, causes them to realize they better solve the case fast... before they both end up dead.

Move over Mary Higgins Clark, a new mystery/suspense author is on the rise! There are more twists and turns here then one would think possible for a single story. It takes one from the ritziest, most innocent of neighborhoods, to the dark, decadent underworld of the city, on a roller-coaster ride of spine-tingling suspense. Danger and depravity are the norm for Mici and Rob's suspects, drawing the two of them into its frightening web of deceit. Yet the two of them manage to get through it all with their innocence intact, while becoming closer to each other, adding a touch of romance to the tale. Ms. Michaels keeps the reader enthralled from the first page and one will be on the edge of the seat as the pages keep turning, all the way to the shocking and truly gothic style ending, which would do even Edgar Allen Poe proud. This book is most definitely one for the keeper shelf and has this reviewer now ready to go out and find other books by Ms. Michaels.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2002. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted November 14, 2003

Summary

Everybody dies sooner or later. In DEATH BENEFITS, it's the people dying sooner that cause attorney Mici Smith and Dr. Rob Craig to work together. Did the person who killed Elinor Grace also kill the Medical Director? Was Elinor killed as part of a scheme to make money for an unscrupulous CEO? Or was she killed for something she knew? Who is Master X and why does he want to kill Mici and Rob? How is Mici's evil father involved in the deaths? The answers to these questions lead the couple to a scene right out of Edgar Allen Poe, complete with a dark and stormy night, baying hounds and a crypt.