Rough Waters

The Waterford Haven Open Water Classic should have been a celebration of athletic excellence. Instead, it ends in tragedy when champion swimmer Victor Crane collapses moments after crossing the finish line. The official verdict points to cardiac arrest, but Margaret Gaines—former competitive swimmer and reluctant amateur detective—notices something everyone else missed. The redness on his skin. The way he kept scratching at his chest during the race. And the mysterious dark-haired woman watching from the crowd with an expression that looked far too much like satisfaction.

As Margaret digs deeper, she discovers that Victor Crane was a man who collected enemies the way other people collected trophies. Behind his winning smile lurked a pattern of destroyed careers and ruined lives stretching back a decade. Now someone has decided that Victor's winning streak has gone on long enough, and they've devised the perfect murder—one designed to look like nothing more than an athlete who pushed himself too hard.