A RESPECTABLE ACTRESS

When India Hartley is accused of murder, she must uncover the deceptions of others to save

herself.

India Hartley, a famous and beautiful actress, is now alone after her father’s death and embarks

upon a tour of theaters across the South. Her first stop is Savannah’s Southern Palace. On the eve

of the second night’s performance, something goes horribly wrong. Her co-star, Arthur Sterling, is

shot dead on stage in front of a packed house, and India is arrested and accused of the crime.

A benefactor hires Philip Sinclair, the best—and handsomest—lawyer in Savannah to defend India.

A widower, Philip is struggling to reinvent his worn-out plantation on St. Simons Island. He needs to

increase his income from his law practice in order to restore Indigo Point, and hardly anything will

bring him more new clients than successfully defending a famous actress on a murder charge.

Because India can’t go anywhere in town without being mobbed, Philip persuades the judge

handling her case to let him take her to Indigo Point until her trial date. India is charmed by the

beauty of the Georgia lowcountry and is increasingly drawn to Philip. But a locked room that appears

to be a shrine to Philip’s dead wife and the unsolved disappearance of a former slave girl raise

troubling questions. Piecing together clues in an abandoned boat and a burned-out chapel, India

discovers a trail of dark secrets that lead back to Philip, secrets that ultimately may hold the key to

her freedom. If only he will believe her.