Mercy Allcutt, Boston Brahmin, wants to experience life in all its grittiness. How better than by working for a down-on-his-luck PI in 1926 Hollywood? Once she discovers what PI actually stands for, she knows Mr. Ernest Templeton is the boss for her. Raised in the ivory tower of proper Boston, when well-bred Mercy gets a job with Ernest Templeton, Private Investigator, she's ecstatic. Ernie, a jaded ex-cop, is incredulous. Together, they must cope with a stray child, kidnapping, blackmail, murder, a toy poodle, a vamp, a stalker, Mercy's overactive imagination and Ernie's strong protective streak. Throw in a speakeasy, Chinatown, and a couple of down-and-dirty criminals, and Mercy and Ernie are in for a drama that will put the motion picture industry to shame . . . if they can survive long enough to tell the story.In September of 1996, Alice Duncan and her herd of wild dachshunds moved from Pasadena, California, to Roswell, New Mexico. She is the proud recipient of a HOLT Medallion award for her previous novel, One Bright Morning.
