The Ruin of Charles Lynch by Phyllis E. Davis
A suspense-thriller novel
“When two crooked judges blackmail the owner of an escort service for five million dollars, she and her husband decide to divorce for two years, marry new spouses in bad health, and hope they die within a few months to inherit their money, pay off the judges and then get married again; their plan does not go as expected.”
Charles and Katherine Lynch enjoyed a good marriage until the night she tells him she has been leading a double life as the owner of an escort service in Los Angeles. She begs him to help her because two judges are blackmailing her for five million dollars.
They decide to divorce for two years, marry new spouses in bad health, and hope they die within a few months to inherit their money, pay off the judges and get married again.
In a race against time, they each meet new spouses with money and health problems and marry them within a few weeks after their divorce. Charles’ wife died of natural causes, and Katherine’s husband also dies, but the autopsy results reveal his cause of death is inconclusive.
At the end of two years, they reunite with millions of dollars and leave on a Caribbean cruise. Katherine confesses she killed her husband. Charles is angry, and she tries to kill him. He leaves the cruise ship in port and contacts the police. The police investigate the death of Katherine’s husband, and Charles provides clues that lead to her arrest. The experience transforms Charles, and he realizes his marriage to Katherine was nothing but lies.
