Rushmore McKenzie was a detective with the St. Paul police force until an unexpected windfall made him a multi-millionaire. He makes a living out of doing nothing and is quite happy doing that, until the insurance company that gave him the money knocks on his door one day and asked for a favor. A very valuable gem has been stolen--the Jade Lily--and they need McKenzie to act as a go-between in order to retrieve it. What ensues involves dark and sultry women, the police, and even the State Department.

Curse of the Jade Lily is a fun story with a lot of twists and turns. Of course McKenzie gets involved--his old detective instincts kick right in--moving from suspect to suspect to track down the missing piece. Housewright's prose is simple, and the dialogue hits hard and true.

This is the ninth installment of the McKenzie series and one of the best. It's got revenge, double cross, car chases and gun shootouts--everything you want in a detective novel.