Shadows of an Heiress

Set in the exclusive and serene Ojai Valley of California, Shadows of an Heiress revolves around the kidnapping of a twelve-year-old heiress. The story follows the lives of her parents; the kidnapper who has engineered the venture behind the back of her benefactor boyfriend; the family housekeeper and her husband; the soon-to-be retired Chief of Police; and a young man who is discovering a new world for him to embrace, if not for his wimpy reluctance.

Particulary tested are Howard and Patricia Leyland. On the verge of divorce, their twenty-plus-year marriage has run its course just as the Leyland fortune has dwindled beyond Patricia’s comprehension. When suddenly confronted with the kidnapping of their daughter, Devon, they become no more than two self-absorbed people with circumstances they can neither control nor buy their way out of.

The resolution is swift and somewhat offbeat, but quite what real life would see fit to reward these characters—all of them—with what they have earned.