Iroquois County Sheriff's deputies assumed the young woman found dead in a tent at a seedy campground was ather of their Off-I-95 suicides. Dr. Ray Raether had seen her arrive in an expensive car from the window of his Aliner camper, and had gone over to help her pitch the tent. Ray disagreed with the deputies' conclusion of suicide. He'd kwn several suicidal students during two decades of university teaching. This woman didn't fit the profile. His doubts led Ray and his constant canine companion, Samantha, to join retired New York City police detective Salvatore Patrick Ryan's search for the truth through South Carolina's Low Country.
Robert Angel was born and raised in small-town Western New York State. After eight years of international travel and military service, he spent a decade in New York City, earning several degrees at Columbia University. Then on to Washington D.C. to work in international relations. Mainly on Japan's political economy and U.S.-Japan relations. He joined the University of South Carolina as an entry-level faculty member in 1986, retiring at the end of 2008. He's lived quietly since with his wife, writing and RV camping when he can at South Carolina's beautiful state parks.