In 1923, the sudden death of a mysterious loner in a seedy Los Angeles hotel leads an eager newspaper reporter to unearth a stunning fortune. His stories trigger a race to claim heirship, bringing hundreds of false claimants out of the woodwork. A young lawyer, Reid Foster, teams with a forensic genealogist to track down the rightful heirs in Paris and Provence.
The lawyer - strait-laced and puritanical - reluctantly joins the profligate genealogist to find relatives in post-WWI France, where they encounter characters ranging from grateful to greedy and sympathetic to seductive. Their inquest culminates in Los Angeles with a contentious trial that tests their ingenuity and persistence.

Anne Chadwick is the author of Pacific in My Soul, a book combining her passions for photography, conservation, and creative writing. She is a leader in several organizations devoted to protecting the environment, advancing the arts, and providing outdoor education. Anne has traveled in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Alaska. Retired from a career in agricultural trade policy and communications, she splits her time between Sebastopol, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia.