The Second Best Time ("Charlie" Serie)

The title for The Second Best Time comes from a Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” And it suits a story of three people at a crossroads in their lives. Jack Caine (aka Jack Morgan), former lothario and sometime con man, now the owner of a successful gallery in the UK; his daughter Charlie (Charlotte) Morgan Francesco, 32 and an art consultant; and new to the series, Kat (Kathleen O’Connor Shironsky), 24, and a street-smart, unemployed bookkeeper. Dying of cancer and worried about his immortal soul, that rascal Jack confesses his long list of sins to Rev. Nigel. The stunned but sympathetic clergyman convinces Jack that his most heinous sin was perpetrated on his daughters, who believe that he committed suicide. Both men agree that seeing their father reopen wounds by suddenly reappearing, only to die a painful death shortly after, would cause additional harm. Filled with guilt and remorse, Jack swears to see to it that his beloved daughters are content, safe and protected, but anonymously. Typical of Jack, the plan he hatches is as convoluted and ingenious as it is entertaining. Seated on a park bench, struggling to find the courage to face social condemnation by leaving a miserable marriage to a husband with MS, Charlie meets Kat, whose boss just was arrested by the FBI for tax evasion. But losing her job is the least of Kat’s problems. Savings account emptied, three months behind on the rent, her husband has mysteriously disappeared. The mismatched pair – tall, elegant art-expert and accidental sleuth, Charlie – and Kat, the pretty, scrappy, 5th of 8 children – join forces to overcome adversity and fight crime with brains, grit and humor. And yes, along the way, some attractive gentlemen help provide the sizzle. The Second Best Time is the 3rd in the “Charlie Series,” which began with Exceeding Expectations and was followed by Paradise Misplaced.