Evil in the 1st House: A Starlight Detective Agency Mystery

In his most personal case yet, astrologer-detective David Lowell is asked to find Dr. Ethan Williamson's dying son's twin in time for a lifesaving kidney transplant. A rare blood type has made a successful donor impossible to find, and time is running out for the boy. Dr. Williamson presents Lowell with a briefcase containing one million dollars in cash and the promise of another million upon completion of his mission.

With the help of his able staff—gal Friday, vivacious redhead Sarah; master hacker and psychic Mort; and bodyguard-chauffer Andy—Lowell sets out to find the missing boy and his mother, who disappeared shortly after the boys were born. As he gets further into the case, Lowell hires his daughter and prize astrology student, attorney Melinda Lowell, as council to protect his legal status in what appears to be a very complicated case. Lowell has also contacted his ex-wife with the hope of reconciliation, so Andy drives Lowell and Melinda to Woodstock for a family reunion with its own tragic backdrop.

As he pursues the case, Lowell discovers that things aren't as they seem. He is joined in his search for the truth by Karen Sweeney—an LA police officer investigating the death of her uncle, private detective Mickey Broad—and Luigi, her 150-pound Great Dane–Labrador mix.

Using his astrological expertise and common sense, Lowell uncovers the sordid facts in this story—which owes more than a little to the ancient Greek tragedies—as he follows the path to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.