The story of 'Lark' begins in a store called Mieux on Ocean, a fictional luxury boutique on Carmel's famous Ocean Avenue. Like many a luxury store, Mieux on Ocean is exquisitely appointed, from crystal chandeliers to richly paneled surfaces and velvety suede upholstery. In the Prologue's opening scene we see the store's top customer, Lincoln Walker Murrow, collapsed on a gilt brocade settee. The store's owner, Celine de Touronnet, is trying to figure out how this will look to the press. Local police detective Marco Jule suspects murder, while the store's security chief, Mike Ortiz, writes it off to indigestion. Isabelle Branch, working undercover with knowledge of Murrow's business partner Sheik Youssef Ben al Nariz, suspects something more sinister. It's the first book in a trilogy (Lark, Crow, Hawk) that sets the stage for lots of great storytelling and fast-paced reading.