By LARRY BALLWAHN | Wilton
Irene Gustafson was informed that the $300,000 she had invested in a real estate development plan was gone. When she questioned the judgment of the investment manager, she was informed that she had signed the forms. Willow Tree, a low-income housing development, was hardly the secure investment where senior investments are usually placed.
Holland Taylor’s parents are neighbors to Mrs. Gustafson. Surely, they think, Holland can get her money back. Money lost in investments is not uncommon nor usually recoverable.
Levering Field had sold the original Willow Tree investment. “Field thought she was going to die and leave all that money to the State of Florida. So, he cashed her in, trying to make as much off her as possible while she was still breathing.”
Holland Taylor discovered that Willow Tree was not what it claimed to be; there might actually be a way to proceed. Holland’s girlfriend is a lawyer. She is prepared to use the legal system. But he has what he regards as a better idea. Sensing that Levering Field can be pressured into a settlement sooner and with no legal costs, Holland starts the campaign.
A computer hacker friend gets all of Field’s credit card numbers. Armed with those, Holland orders numerous home deliveries and even has newspaper ads placed. The person perpetrating the damage is not a secret, and a restraining order comes into play. But everything is not as it seems. Willow Tree turns out to be a sound idea that was destroyed using the political system. Fraud was involved, but not by Willow Tree.
And then there is Mrs. Levering’s long-standing male friend. What, if anything, is his role in this? It turns out that the Leverings’ have a daughter; could she have been involved? Someone is really upset with Taylor’s efforts; a hired assassin, believed to be responsible for Levering’s murder, now has Taylor, almost literally, in his sights.
Just as it appeared that Holland Taylor was going to get Mrs. Gustafson’s money from Levering Field, Field was shot, and the money disappeared. And then a professional assassin came on the scene. Computer hacking proved useful, but it was deductive reasoning that finally resolved the complicated plot.
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Addendum: I was going to write a review of this book but couldn’t do better than the recommendation.
“Larry, in case you are looking for a book to review about good people, may I recommend ‘Leonard and Hungry Paul.’ No violence, no crime wave, just goodness and kindness and a little romance between Leonard and Shelley. It’s a gentle book about gentle people and a good story, too.” — Lyda Lanier
