title: The Solitary Twist: A Nell Fury Mystery
author:  Elizabeth Pincus 
description: Readers of Pincus's ( The Two-Bit Tango ) second book could use a score card to keep track of all the characters, but despite the maze of friends and foes lesbian PI Nell Fury does a competent job of solving a complex mystery. Flying home to San Francisco, Nell meets lesbian Christa Lovett, who hires Nell to check the background on Philip Gold, fiance of Christa's ex-lover, Ellen Norway. Christa thinks Philip is after Ellen's money. Within a day, Philip, an arts commissioner, is accused of mismanaging funds, and Ellen is kidnapped. Christa, who is suspiciously shy of the police, asks Nell to find Ellen; consequently, Nell trails Philip to a questionable construction-site meeting; hours later he is killed. Nell is making headway on the case when Christa pays up, terminates the job and vanishes. Chasing down clues and pouncing on coincidences, Nell weaves together surprising events from past and present. While sleuthing, she is fairly good company--much better than she is when, boring as many a suburban mother, she dotes on Pinky, her poetry-writing, Day-Glo-haired daughter. <br />Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  #  Book 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Part 1
  
  
    
  “Leave it to an immortal to think
  
  
  forty years wouldn’t make a difference.” Hyacinth said. The
  
  
  wrinkles of her face deepened into a grin. The grin grew into a
  
  
  smile, then into laughter.
  
  
  Hangry, holding the missive basket, eyed his
  
  
  mistress. Nothing made the queen mother laugh. He didn't miss the
  
  
  edge to that smile that likely meant he'd be reordering the linens
  
  
  and pantry for the fifth time this week. Anger made her much too
  
  
  tidy.
  
  
  “Does he
  
  
  know how old I am now?” She muttered. How ridiculous. Receiving an
  
  
  “accidental” love letter from the King of Adelli.
  
  
  A werewolf.
  
  
  A half breed responsible, as far as she was
  
  
  concerned, for the death of her sister. Her heart constricted. Who
  
  
  had ensured she received this? Lady Nell? Nell was always trying at
  
  
  subtle sabotage but why? To make the royal family look weak?
  
  
  Hyacinth looked back at Hangry.
  
  
  Hangry stiffened and fixed
  
  
  his eyes 