Looking for a great read on a crisp autumn afternoon or on a long winter's night snuggled up in front of a cozy fire? This could be it. The Magpie's Secret is a thriller with a heart, the perfect combination for whiling away a few hours. They say it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. You think so? Ask Frank Martinelli, and he might tell you different. It all began with the disappearance of his daughter Jennifer 20 years ago. She was on her way back to college and never made it. A year later a young girl named Rachel left Frank with an awful secret right before she died. The losses kept piling up. Soon his marriage was added to the toll. After that he just quit trying to make sense of things. He put in his time and retired, a hollowed out man living a half-empty glass of a life, a story with an ending he didn't care about one way or another . . . Or so he thought until what started out as just another day in the life became a matter of life and death. His. When an old Army buddy suddenly resurfaces to warn Frank that someone wants him dead, Frank starts asking why. The search for answers leads him back to Rachel's secret, a secret that someone apparently wants buried with Frank. In his quest to uncover the truth Frank finds a reason to start living again. The problem is, if Frank can't get to the bottom of things soon he may not have much time left to live.