Regrets Only

PI Paul Craine is new on the job, just fired from his Washington counterspying job. He assumed that being a detective would be close to his former work. On his first case, he is asked to prove a lobbyist's infidelity. The alleged mistress, Pamela Johnson, cannot be found. She broke bail in Florida and has not been seen at her Arlington house. The woman who stands to lose her bail bond, Anna Sperry, is also tracking Pamela. Sperry and Craine reluctantly team up. But Pamela is abducted under their eyes. Enter a CIA agent who claims that the lobbyist is suspected of commercial espionage for an Airbus supplier. All the actors find themselves on Nantucket Island where the lobbyist has a vacation home. Of course nothing is what it seems. The story is told by Paul Craine, a Frenchman, who sees everything, from American ways to American girlfriends, with Gallic cynicism. The front and back covers are original paintings by the author. At the end of the book there is an excerpt from his western novel "Arizona '70".