Angela's new case is full of dark secrets and scandal, but shocking events closer to home prove to be her biggest challenge yet . . .

Nobody in Chouteau Forest expected one of their most prominent citizens, socialite Selwyn Skipton, to be found dead in such salacious circumstances: strangled on satin bedsheets, a red letter A brutally stapled to his chest, in his private apartment above the Chouteau Forest Chocolate Shoppe.

Selwyn was a good man. He gave to charity, supported local causes, and was married to his wife for more than twenty years. What did he do to deserve such a terrible end?

As Death Investigator Angela Richman investigates, she uncovers Selwyn's dark secret, but also faces an unexpected, chilling conundrum closer to home . . .

Elaine Viets returned to her hardboiled roots with her Angela Richman, Death Investigator series. A Scarlet Death is the latest, following on from The Dead of Night, Late for His Own Funeral, Life Without Parole, Death Grip, A Star Is Dead, Fire and Ashes and Brain Storm, as well as the novella Ice Blonde. Elaine has over thirty-five bestselling mysteries in four series. A St. Louis native, Elaine took the Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Course for forensic professionals at St. Louis University, and has won the Agatha, Anthony and Lefty Awards. Elaine lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband, writer Don Crinklaw.