High-Wire Heartbreak — Anna Schmidt

In 1936--A party at the Ringling mansion Ca d'Zan in Sarasota, Florida, leads to a robbery--and possibly death.

A successful historical mystery writer, Chloe Whitfield comes to Ca' d'Zan to research her next novel. Chloe's fascination with the circus is rooted in family stories of her great-grandmother Lucinda Conroy, who reportedly was a trapeze artist of some renown. She's heard hints of scandal -- and perhaps larceny, but no details.

Chloe's grandmother -- rumored to be Lucinda's only offspring -- was raised in an orphanage and never knew her mother. Intrigued as she is, Chloe has no intent of writing about Lucinda until she sees a poster featuring Lucinda as the star performer for a 70th birthday gala for John Ringling in May of 1936. From there the trail goes cold.

Who was Lucinda and what happened to her?