Every Sunday, the good people of Esterelle dive into the Chronicle to devour the next chapter of The Hummingbird's reckless adventures, courtesy of C. A. Pearsons. Who would suspect the mysterious author is a petite midwesterner, as reserved as her flamboyant heroine is bold?

Ann moved to California for its promise of better days. The serial is but a stepping stone in her dream of a writing career. Hollywood can worship its movie stars. Society can cherish its rich Lotharios. She'll stretch her pennies and make do until she succeeds by herself. Life, however, is never that simple. One ill-advised agreement and Ann gets tangled in the drama that sticks to eligible bachelor Quinn Forbes like glue.

All Quinn ever wanted was to make his family proud. He cleaned up his act after one hell of a wake-up call. Forbes Limited is thriving despite the Great Depression. Groundbreaking new technologies bear his mark. The last thing he needs is to get involved in his old friend's mess. But here he is, forced to rescue an adorable blonde from herself, time and again.

A monster haunts the former speakeasies of the Flower District, and they're both on the trail. If Passion forges brittle rings, what does Murder do?