Phyllis E. Dearing, a/k/a Liz Clarke, is a retired legal secretary who began writing during her husband's illness as a way to keep busy while being a full-time caregiver. The name, Liz Clarke, is in honor of her grandmother, great-grandmother, and one beloved cousin, named Elizabeth (Liz) Clark. The "E" was added in the bellief that the name originally was spelled that way. This is number eight in the "Shell" series of short, easy reading mysteries.