Amy Parkens is a struggling single mother forced to abandon a career in astronomy for a practical computer job. She feels condemned to long hours, low pay, and no time to spend with her young daughter. Then an unmarked package arrives. There's no card, no note, no return address. Someone has simply sent her a small fortune. Amy has no idea who--or why. She only knows that her dead end life has changed forever. Though tempted just to keep it, Amy fears a mistake, a set up, or even a possible connection to her mother's mysterious death twenty years earlier. She has to find the source. But when she tries to look her gift horse in the mouth, someone snatches the money back? quickly, violently.

Ryan Duffy is a decent, responsible man, small-town physician from the plains of southeastern Colorado. Like Amy, Ryan has recently found unexpected wealth. His father's estate is worth more than Ryan could ever have imagined--millions more. Truth is, Dad was a hard-working electrician for forty-five years. But in his attic, he hid a fortune. The Duffy family has been guarding a secret. Was it extortion, burglary, or some other shocking crime? And now that Ryan has the money, what should he do?

Painful as it is, Ryan is drawn to his father's dark past. Amy, on the same desperate quest for answers, soon aligns herself with Ryan to learn the truth about the man Ryan thought he knew, and to uncover the shocking connection between Ryan's inheritance and Amy's newfound wealth. Their search takes them through a labyrinth of deception and blackmail, leading them to a man of unfathomable power. At the heart of their discovery, shrouded in secrecy, are the heinous crimes that touched their families years ago. Yet the past is not what it appears to be. Soon Amy and Ryan learn why the true victims never came forward, why the real wrongdoers went unpunished, and why certain powerful people would kill to keep their secrets.

Critical Praise

"Grippando has done it again, crafting a thrilling scenario filled with terrifying images of money's dark side. . . . Highly recommended." -- Library Journal

"A cautionary tale of greed, family secrets and the dangers of getting what you wish for the final revelation is a real kicker." -- Publishers Weekly

"A plot filled with twists and turns. Found Money is a good yarn about two honest people whose main problem is that their parents kept too many secrets." -- Orlando Sentinel

"Grippando writes in nail-biting style." -- Larry King in USA Today