Lt. Plate and Daphne face a new mystery together that takes them back generations but find the answer cannot be categorized by time. The world is changing in the 1980s and the new generation is having to cope with the legacy of the old. Elites would like to forget the social ills of the past and proclaim the new social order has arrived. But the boast is premature. Intolerance and prejudice are major factors in the murder of an innocent woman who should have been without an enemy in the world.The Ruler of the Toys- second in the series"An in depth mystery that explores social change in the 1980s while being highly entertaining. Part of a series but not necessary to read them in sequence. More serious and thought provoking than the first, still enjoyable in the tradition of old fashioned mysteries." 1983 spin says the days of racial hatred are over. Yet prejudice leads to murder in a mystery which reaches back a century, finding the age old motives devaluing lives of some, while enhancing others are the same as ever. Innocents are the victims when sin becomes legal. The world is changing in the 1980s and the new generation is having to cope with the legacy of the old. Elites would like to forget the social ills of the past and proclaim the new social order has arrived. But the boast is premature. Intolerance and prejudice are major factors in the murder of an innocent woman who should have been without an enemy in the world. Tamica was a threat to no one and would have little claim to notoriety if not for being the granddaughter of a living legend. Amelia Mattworks is 94 and beloved as an entertainer of color who withstood the bigotry of the early 20th century, though numerous tragedies cost her most of her family. In the eyes of her fans, even if her soap opera life did make good drama, Amelia did not deserve the heartbreaks of the past, and much less this compelling new tragedy in the winter of her days. But rather than compensate for the appalling treatment that the high society of the first half of the century meted out to her and her family, those in power in the second half are oblivious to Amelia's latest suffering, or patronizing at best, when she suddenly loses her only granddaughter to a murderer. Lt. Sinclair Plate, second ranking officer in the tiny police force in the community where Amelia lives, is shouldered with the responsibility of protecting the only surviving blood relative the famous diva apparently has left- the 16-year-old daughter of the victim, also the seemingly inexplicable target of the murderer. Surrounded by in-laws who are strangers, jealous competitors from the past, contemporary fortune hunters, and disloyal employees, the vulnerable Amelia, and her pregnant great-granddaughter, are encompassed in danger from all sides. The absence of motive for the murder and continuing threat is balanced with a plethora of suspects for the detective to choose from. They range from the famous- politicians, rights activists, sports figures, movie stars- to the ordinary- servants, security guards, medical and security personnel, even apparent drifters. Before he can expose the masquerade of the killer, Lt. Plate has to uncover and understand deep dark secrets of long vanished eras. Eager to delve into history with Lt. Plate, exploring superstitions and evils of ages gone by, is insurance agent Daphne Martin who has a secret agenda of her own. Plate and Daphne find sins of the past have long tentacles that reach far into their own times of the 1980s, and threaten to multiply in their future which, for the reader, is now. Before the end, this 1980s couple must make life and death choices in a world where good and evil have blurred and a wrong decision is fatal. Second in a series with the descendant of a 1900s law man and his insurance agent girlfriend. 350 pages in 12 Pt Times New Roman Font, 6 by 9 paperback.
