The Vanished Priestess

The indomitable Annie Szabo has lost too many friends and loved ones, so the death of Margo Spanger hits hard. Margo, Annie's neighbor, was a cultural icon with money and fame. Maybe too much... She used one of her projects, a New Age circus, to fund a women's shelter. When Margo's partner, Lili, goes missing the day of Margo's death, the circus and shelter fall into disarray. It turns Annie's world upside down, too. Her daughter is a resident of the women's shelter and could become the next victim. More trouble: Annie's mother-in-law, the Gypsy fortune-teller Madame Mina, plants her trailer in Annie's yard with a vengeance, right next to Annie's pet giraffes. Aided by an ex-cop and Mina's plant medicine, Annie uncovers Margo's past. She'd rattled the power elite, a trapeze flier, one jealous lover, a captain of industry, a long-lost son, and an ice-blond philanthropist. As Annie delves into their surprisingly tangled lives, one thing becomes clear---the killer is a master of disguises, and time is running out. However, when Annie and Madame Mina stop arguing long enough to put their heads together, the truth can't hide. Reviews "In this fine sequel to her highly praised debut, The Hummingbird Wizard, Blevins, a fifth-generation Californian, blends a wild story, wonderful wit, and great characters."--Library Journal on The Vanished Priestess