Lila Day used to be a police officer. Now she solves cold cases for Teddy Hawkins, a billionaire who created a time machine. In order to preserve the past and not hurt their present, Lila has to obey Teddy's instructions. The only problem is Lila's not great at following rules. Her passion--the reason she excels at investigating murders--often leads her to make poor decisions and blinds her to the damage her meddling may cause. To avoid disaster, Teddy carefully chooses the cases she works, and any case with a personal connection is strictly prohibited.
Ten years ago, Lila's sister, Ava, was accused of murdering software tycoon Jack Warren, on the night of his 50th birthday. Certain of her sister's innocence, Lila convinces Teddy to send her back in time to find out what really happened the night Jack died. Arriving in the year 2008, she gains employment on Jack's luxury yacht by posing as a stewardess. Lila is quickly thrown into the dramatic and unpredictable world of the glitterati and self-important plutocrats, where she discovers that everyone aboard the ship has a reason to hate Jack and many also possess the means to murder.
From start to finish of Liv Spector's sophomore effort (after The Rich and the Dead), each new piece of information complicates both the plot and relations between characters. Set against the tantalizing backdrop of excess consumption and privilege beyond the scope of most people, The Beautiful and the Wicked is an entertaining whodunit. --Justus Joseph, bookseller at Elliott Bay Book Company