Coercion — Eugenie D. West

A vacation isn't just a vacation--not when sleuthing journalist Gracie Barufaldi is the one on holiday! A quick break to Brazil's breathtaking Iguassu Falls finds Gracie caught up in a grisly murder mystery when her excision boat at the Falls comes upon a body. Since she is the first to spot, and find, the dead woman, Gracie is a key witness in the investigation; but she doesn't let murder spoil her trip. Along with her tour guide and new friend, Will, she explores many of the most intriguingly beautiful and culturally significant sights in the area. But all the while she is thinking about the murder case, and uncovering clues in her usual unconventional way. In 'Coercion,' Gracie must navigate the delicate and often tricky relationship between collaborating law enforcement entities as she applies her unorthodox strategies to unraveling the puzzle of who killed the victim, and why. And she has to handle the equally tricky situation of her developing fondness for Will along with her nascent relationship with Jack back home. Jack, Berkshire County, Massachusetts' Chief Detective, has his own peculiar case to solve while Gracie's in Brazil, and each picks the other's brain about their respective criminal cases during phone calls back and forth. Part travelogue, part mystery and just a little bit romance, 'Coercion' exposes an anguished scenario and its ruinous denouement, a story that has become all too common in the U.S. and across the globe.