Squall Line — Nancy Gotter Gates

Emma Daniels's lazy morning on the beach outside her Sarasota, Florida, condo is interrupted by a charming stranger. The gentleman, a gallery owner, appears so earnest that Emma agrees to deliver his note to a local artist known for her beach paintings. But when the message turns out to be a ransom note, Emma feels like a fool. Now she's determined to help the note's recipient secure her grandmother's safe return, and insists on contributing to the ransom amount.

Sinister events turn deadly, though, when the artist's body washes ashore only hours after the money delivery. Worse, there's still no clue to the whereabouts of the elderly woman. Galvanized into action, Emma looks for clues in the young artist's life and discovers she's been played in a brilliant con game. The only real part is the lifeless body on the shore. And the terrible awareness that somebody wants Emma dead, too.