The novel, Waiting for Morning, is an action-packed adventure in human behavior and corporate intrigue. After working her way through law school, Kate Newton accepts an entry-level position in the legal department of Ozarks Alliance Co. in Little Rock. Ozarks Alliance is one of three subsidiaries of Alliance Oil & Gas Co. with its headquarters in Houston. Kate enjoys working for Ozarks and living in the Little Rock area, but when an opportunity for advancement becomes available with Bayou Alliance in New Orleans, she applies and is accepted for the position.
Kate's new boss is Douglas Martin, vice president and corporate counsel of Bayou. After orientation, she is shown her new office and escorted around the floor to meet coworkers, including Nick Beischel, manager of corporate security. Kate soon begins to feel uncomfortable about Bayou's corporate culture. Her feelings become stronger when a local newspaper uses an anonymous source to print an article condemning Bayou for making secret cash payments to local political candidates and politicians.
Following the execution-style murder of a prominent business owner and his wife, Thomas and Susan White, in their Little Rock home, the story explodes. Detectives soon identify Nick Beischel, a retired Dallas police homicide investigator; Malcolm Alexander, a wealthy commercial real estate developer who worked for Thomas White; and George Harrison Chandler Jr., the chief executive officer of Alliance Oil & Gas in Houston and a former friend and business partner of Thomas White as persons of interest.
One month after the White murders, Bayou Alliance's corporate jet mysteriously crashes shortly after takeoff, killing all four people on board. The next morning, Frederick Swallow, president of Bayou Alliance, and Douglas Martin call Kate to the president's office. They assign her to lead the company's internal investigation and work with the NTSB, FBI, and local authorities. President Swallow restricts the assignment to solely the plane crash. Kate does not understand why they selected her, but she eagerly accepts and pledges to do her best.
She ignores the restriction and broadens her investigation. What she and her team discover is alarming and disgusting. Throughout the investigations, Kate trusts her faith, professional skill, and support from a hometown friend, whom she admires and loves.
2
