The Ghost and the Forger

Book excerpt: H.H. Willoughby is a forger by profession, and he wants to write his memoir. To do this, he needs a ghostwriter so he engages Nell Bane. Willoughby is an endearing fellow-charming and engaging-but their partnership carries Nell to the limits of the law and causes her to wonder if she is aiding and abetting a criminal. Furthermore, the ominous presence of Willoughby's accomplice, Woodford Stone, haunts Nell and foreshadows trouble as the novel's action moves through museums, studios and art galleries. In The Ghost and the Forger, all the elements of a Nell Bane novel come into play: psychology, ethics and intrigue.