The Kookaburra Gambit

Book excerpt: Owning fifty-one percent of an L.A. detective agency isn’t as exciting as it sounds when your partner—gorgeous though she is—won’t let you solve any cases. Transplanted Aussie Kylie Kendall is frustrated as all get out, but that’s about to change. Twins Alf and Chicka Hartnidge, creators of Australia’s hit children’s TV show The Oz Mob, hire Kylie to find out who’s smuggling opals into the States inside their Kelvin Kookaburra plush toys. At risk is their deal with Lamb White Incorporated, a film company owned by charismatic evangelist Brother Owen, whose followers include A-list Hollywood celebrities. Can Kylie solve her very first case? And, more important, can she win the heart of her cool, contained business partner, Ariana Creeling? With The Kookaburra Gambit, Claire McNab has created yet another mystery full of suspense, humor, and, of course, a generous helping of Aussie charm. Originally published by Alyson Publications 2005.