That's what one top New York agent wrote about The Lanyard, a mystery/thriller with a compelling love story woven into its plot.

Authors Al Perry and Liz Huck heeded the advice of that agent. They revised their manuscript until it became the story they always wanted to tell: a story about a woman who unravels the coils of a strange leather rope to find the truth.

A murder at O'Hare International Airport triggers a crisis for ex-cop Magda Daroczi, a security guard. The victim, a business courier, was wearing the lanyard. Suspected of involvement with the killers, Magda struggles to clear herself.

The key to the crime is Stefan Ross, an illegal alien whose supposedly clean record hides a dark past. As the lanyard's deadly secrets come to light, Magda and Stefan tangle with gangsters, the FBI, and each other.