title: Stealing Lumby
author:  Gail Fraser 
description: The second installment in a series set in the bucolic Pacific Northwest town of Lumby picks up where <i>The Lumby Lines</i> left off, with Pam Walker bemused by husband Mark's horticultural foibles and attempts at animal husbandry as the two struggle to turn a profit at their new inn. But when the painting <i>The Barns of Lumby</i> by the esteemed Dana Porter is stolen, the quiet town suddenly finds itself in the media spotlight. A slew of journalists descend and shake things up for everyone, especially young widow Katie Banks, the owner of the barns depicted in the painting. Katie is suspicious of journalists, but in spite of her skepticism, Katie is drawn into a romance with Adam Massey, a journalist who is also writing a biography of Dana. Other subplots include a monastery that makes a popular gourmet rum sauce and the sinister maneuverings of Norris Fiddler, the New Yorkbased media conglomerate CEO owner of the stolen painting. There's a gee- whiz, gosh-darn-it quality to the writing that lends an unrushed, meandering feel to the narrative as evildoers are dispatched and equilibrium is restored. Fraser's story is pleasantly easy reading and as smalltown cozy as they come. <i>(Sept.)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  STOLEN
  
  
  PROJECT XOL
  
  
  BOOK FOUR
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  AMABEL DANIELS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Disclaimer
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and
  incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a
  fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or
  actual events is purely coincidental.
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2020 Amabel Daniels
  
  
  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Dedication
  
  
  For Sophia
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter One
  
  
  
  
  
  Cassidy
  
  
  
  
  
  The needle jabbed straight for my chest, promising darkness.
  
  
  I don’t think so.
  
  
  With a sweaty grip, I heaved the briefcase up like a shield, deflecting
  Jolene’s blow. Ramming my shoulder up, I pushed her back down the hallway. I’d
  stood with the move, thrusting my all into it.
  
  
  “Don’t waste your time,” Jolene spat at me, bouncing back to her feet. She
  huffed a few strands of blonde fr