Phoebe Siegel
From the Source: Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002.
Entry Updated : 05/29/2001
BY EVIL MEANS:
The divorced Siegel living in Billings, Montana. Siegel, a drop-out from FBI school and a former police officer whose brother, a fellow officer, has recently committed suicide, is hired to probe the sudden personality transformation exhibited by teenaged character Jennifer Kuntz. Siegel is initially dismissive of the Kuntz case, but her interest escalates when she discovers that her late brother (the suicidal police officer) had been named in a sexual misconduct complaint made by Jennifer. Siegel’s subsequent investigation takes her to Whispering Pines, a clinic for rehabilitating substance abusers. There she finds evidence of conspiracy and cover-up and further intrigue leading to local, well-to-do citizenry and corrupt police department.
THE KILLING OF MONDAY BROWN:
Wherein the clever Phoebe Siegel is hired to disprove murder charges filed against a local Native American accused of killing antiquities dealer Monday Brown. Soon after Siegel begins her investigation, a friend of the suspect is found dead. Siegel is eventually convinced to pursue clues at the nearby Indian reservation, where she conflicts with a surly German who is affiliated with antiquities traders and is also related to the late Brown.
WHEN WALLFLOWERS DIE:
Phoebe Siegel agrees to probe the long-unsolved demise of an heiress whose husband (a sometime suspect of his wife’s murder) has become a viable gubernatorial candidate. Soon after Siegel begins her investigation, another individual, said to hold important information regarding the first murder, is also slain, and Siegel learns ultimately that she too is a target. Meanwhile, Siegel must manage both family problems and a budding romance with a police officer.