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The Traitor King
by Todd MitchellFamily secrets lead to a fantasy world in this dazzling fantasy debut from Todd Mitchell. Darren and Jackie Mannahan thought they lived in an ordinarily unhappy family, where some things were never discussed. But an unexpected, shadowy visitor suddenly propels them into a mystery they didn't even know existed -- the mystery of where exactly their family came from, and why it's now in ruins. After tracking down many clues and signs, Darren and Jackie discover an alternate world where their family used to rule -- and was banished in disgrace. Can they redeem the family name... and discover whether their lineage is truly evil, or if there's more to the story than that?
The Traitor's Blade (The Blackthorn Key #5)
by Kevin SandsChristopher&’s homecoming takes a sinister turn when a murderous conspiracy is uncovered in this fifth novel of the award-winning Blackthorn Key series.Christopher, Tom, and Sally are back in London at last. Everyone is relieved at their return—the plague has ended, and the king, pleased with their service, offers a surprising reward. But trouble has followed them home... First, an old friend is ambushed and left for dead. Then an anonymous letter arrives at Blackthorn—a mysterious warning hidden inside a riddle and secret code. As Christopher and his friends begin to investigate, they soon discover they&’ve stumbled upon a plot to kill the king...and anyone else who dares stand in the traitors&’ way.
The Traitor's Daughter
by Joanna MakepeaceEnemy or lover?As a supporter of the late king, Richard III, Lady Philippa's father is a wanted man, a traitor to the crown. While visiting her dying grandfather in Wales, she fears for her life when she is recognized- by Sir Rhys Griffith, a knight and supporter of the present king. Lady Philippa knows that at any moment Sir Rhys could have her father arrested and thrown in the Tower for treason. Yet he seems a man of honor, a man who has appointed himself her protector. Could it be he seeks her father for quite a different reason- to ask for her hand in marriage?
The Traitor's Emblem
by J.G. Jurado'Spain's Ken Follett' ups his game further with a breakneck historical thriller.Gibraltar, 1940. During a horrific storm, a sea captain rescues a group of castaways - and in return is given a strange-looking emblem made of gold and diamonds. Decades later, the captain's son receives a substantial offer for the emblem. He will not sell it, but discovers the astounding story behind this mysterious object . . .Munich, 1919. Fifteen-year-old Paul Reiner dreams of the heroic father he never knew, who died during the First World War. One night, Paul discovers a secret which turns his world upside down - and from that moment, he sacrifices everything to uncover the truth behind his father's death.
The Traitor's Emblem: A Novel
by J.G. JuradoA spellbinding novel about an epic mystery set against the rise of Nazism that spans decades of family betrayal, impossible love, and the high price of vengeance.Based on a true story: A Spanish sea captain rescues four German castaways during a treacherous storm in 1940. He doesn&’t know who they are or where they came from, but one of them gives him a mysterious gold-and-diamond emblem before disembarking. Decades later, the captain&’s son receives a substantial offer for it and is told an astounding story behind the object: it holds the key to Paul Reiner&’s lifelong quest. . . . Munich, 1919. After his family falls into disgrace, fifteen-year-old Paul dreams of the heroic father he never knew. But one night, seconds before committing suicide, Paul&’s cousin reveals a terrible secret about his father&’s death. This discovery turns Paul&’s world upside down and leads him on a hunt in Nazi Germany to uncover the mystery surrounding his father&’s death. The Traitor&’s Emblem is an epic novel spanning decades of family betrayal, impossible love, and the high price of vengeance. Set against the menacing streets of Depression-era Munich and the cruel rise of Nazism, Gómez-Jurado&’s spellbinding thriller proves again that he is a master of narration.
The Traitor's Mark (Thomas Treviot Ser.)
by D. K. WilsonEach novel in this thrilling series of historical mysteries is based on a real unsolved Tudor crime. This second instalment reunites readers with its star, London goldsmith Thomas Treviot.The Real CrimeHans Holbein, King Henry VIII's portrait painter, died in the autumn of 1543. A century later a chronicler reported that the artist had succumbed to plague, yet there is no contemporary evidence to support this. Suspicions have been raised over the centuries, but the mystery of what actually happened remains unsolved to this day.Our StoryYoung London goldsmith Thomas Treviot is awaiting a design for a very important jewellery commission from Hans Holbein. When the design fails to turn up, Thomas sends a servant to track Holbein down, only to discover that the painter has disappeared. In his hunt for Holbein and the lost design, Thomas is led into a morass of dangerous political intrigue, Spanish spies and courtiers that is more treacherous than he could ever have anticipated...
The Traitor's Mark (Thomas Treviot)
by D. K. WilsonEach novel in this thrilling series of historical mysteries is based on a real unsolved Tudor crime. This second instalment reunites readers with its star, London goldsmith Thomas Treviot.The Real CrimeHans Holbein, King Henry VIII's portrait painter, died in the autumn of 1543. A century later a chronicler reported that the artist had succumbed to plague, yet there is no contemporary evidence to support this. Suspicions have been raised over the centuries, but the mystery of what actually happened remains unsolved to this day.Our StoryYoung London goldsmith Thomas Treviot is awaiting a design for a very important jewellery commission from Hans Holbein. When the design fails to turn up, Thomas sends a servant to track Holbein down, only to discover that the painter has disappeared. In his hunt for Holbein and the lost design, Thomas is led into a morass of dangerous political intrigue, Spanish spies and courtiers that is more treacherous than he could ever have anticipated...
The Traitor's Mark (Thomas Treviot)
by D. K. WilsonThe Real CrimeHans Holbein, King Henry VIII's portrait painter, died in the autumn of 1543. A century later a chronicler reported that the artist had succumbed to plague, yet there is no contemporary evidence to support this. Suspicions have been raised over the centuries, but the mystery of what actually happened remains unsolved to this day.Our StoryYoung London goldsmith Thomas Treviot is awaiting a design for a very important jewellery commission from Hans Holbein. When the design fails to turn up, Thomas sends a servant to track Holbein down, only to discover that the painter has disappeared. In his hunt for Holbein and the lost design, Thomas is led into a morass of dangerous political intrigue, French spies and courtiers that is more treacherous than he could ever have anticipated...
The Traitor's Mark: A Tudor Mystery (Thomas Treviot Ser.)
by D. K. WilsonBased on the true story of the unsolved disappearance of Hans Holbein—famed portrait-painter of Henry VIII—this atmospheric historical novel plunges into an underworld of Tudor politics and intrigue. The Real Crime: Hans Holbein, King Henry VIII's portrait painter, died in the autumn of 1543. A century later a chronicler reported that the artist had succumbed to plague, yet there is no contemporary evidence to support this. Suspicions have been raised over the centuries, but the mystery of what actually happened remains unsolved to this day. Our Story: Young London goldsmith Thomas Treviot is awaiting a design for a very important jewelry commission from Hans Holbein. When the design fails to turn up, Thomas sends a servant to track Holbein down, only to discover that the painter has disappeared. In his hunt for Holbein and the lost design, Thomas is led into a morass of dangerous political intrigue, Spanish spies and courtiers that is more treacherous than he could ever have anticipated . . .
The Traitor's Niche: A Novel
by Ismail Kadare"Kadare is inevitably linked to Orwell and Kundera, but he is a far deeper ironist than the first, and a better storyteller than the second. He is a compellingly ironic storyteller because he so brilliantly summons details that explode with symbolic reality." —The New YorkerAt the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the main square of Constantinople, a niche is carved into ancient stone. Here, the sultan displays the severed heads of his adversaries. People flock to see the latest head and gossip about the state of the empire: the province of Albania is demanding independence again, and the niche awaits a new trophy . . . Tundj Hata, the imperial courier, is charged with transporting heads to the capital—a task he relishes and performs with fervor. As he travels through obscure and impoverished territories, he makes money from illicit side–shows, offering villagers the spectacle of death. The head of the rebellious Albanian governor would fetch a very high price indeed. The Traitor's Niche is a surreal tale of tyranny and rebellion, in a land where armies carry scarecrows, state officials ban entire languages, and the act of forgetting is more complicated than remembering.Long-listed for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize"The name of the Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare regularly comes up at Nobel Prize time, and he is still a good bet to win it one of these days . . . He is seemingly incapable of writing a book that fails to be interesting." —The New York Times
The Traitor's Wife: Heartbreaking WW2 historical fiction with an incredible story inspired by a woman's resistance
by Sarah SteeleHER HUSBAND BETRAYED HER COUNTRY. ONLY SHE CAN SAVE IT. -----The spellbinding new book from the USA Today bestselling author of The Schoolteacher of Saint Michel, perfect for fans of The Nightingale and The Paris Library Inspired by the stories of the heroines of the Italian Resistance, this is a heart-wrenching dual-timeframe story which is a portrait of war and a powerful exploration of how far we will go to protect our families, set between World War II Naples and the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood.-----'Do it,' she said to the German, her voice a rasping whisper. 'Shoot me if you dare. I am Maddalena.'Naples 1943Luisa Giordano has faced many losses: her mother to a deadly illness, the man she loved to the Nazis when war came to Italy, and her unborn child at the hands of her own husband. All Luisa has left is her voice, and when she learns her husband is colluding with the enemy, she knows she must use it to fuel the women of Naples with fire.Los Angeles 1962Hollywood starlet Lola Hart has come a long way from the backstreets of Naples, the glamorous parties a way to dull the pain of the past. When she is offered the role of a lifetime portraying a heroine of the Italian resistance, she knows returning home means confronting old ghosts. But as she seeks out the story behind the film, she realises there are many in Naples with secrets, and that the woman she is to play held the greatest one of all...-----READERS LOVE SARAH STEELE:'A must-read in historical fiction' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I loved this book - a perfect summer read' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I just loved it!' KATIE FFORDE'I can taste the gelato and the sweetness of La Dolce Vita in Italy of the 1960s, coupled with the bitterness of wartime intrigue and betrayal. A perfect combination' MANDY ROBOTHAM'A gripping and atmospheric read' TESSA HARRIS
The Traitor's Wife: Heartbreaking WW2 historical fiction with an incredible story inspired by a woman's resistance
by Sarah SteeleHER HUSBAND BETRAYED HER COUNTRY. ONLY SHE CAN SAVE IT. -----The spellbinding new book from the USA Today bestselling author of The Schoolteacher of Saint Michel, perfect for fans of The Nightingale and The Paris Library Inspired by the stories of the heroines of the Italian Resistance, this is a heart-wrenching dual-timeframe story which is a portrait of war and a powerful exploration of how far we will go to protect our families, set between World War II Naples and the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood.-----'Do it,' she said to the German, her voice a rasping whisper. 'Shoot me if you dare. I am Maddalena.'Naples 1943Luisa Giordano has faced many losses: her mother to a deadly illness, the man she loved to the Nazis when war came to Italy, and her unborn child at the hands of her own husband. All Luisa has left is her voice, and when she learns her husband is colluding with the enemy, she knows she must use it to fuel the women of Naples with fire.Los Angeles 1962Hollywood starlet Lola Hart has come a long way from the backstreets of Naples, the glamorous parties a way to dull the pain of the past. When she is offered the role of a lifetime portraying a heroine of the Italian resistance, she knows returning home means confronting old ghosts. But as she seeks out the story behind the film, she realises there are many in Naples with secrets, and that the woman she is to play held the greatest one of all...-----READERS LOVE SARAH STEELE:'A must-read in historical fiction' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I loved this book - a perfect summer read' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I just loved it!' KATIE FFORDE'I can taste the gelato and the sweetness of La Dolce Vita in Italy of the 1960s, coupled with the bitterness of wartime intrigue and betrayal. A perfect combination' MANDY ROBOTHAM'A gripping and atmospheric read' TESSA HARRIS
The Traitor's Wife: Heartbreaking WW2 historical fiction with an incredible story inspired by a woman's resistance
by Sarah SteeleInspired by the incredible stories of the heroines of the Italian Resistance, this is a heart-wrenching dual-timeframe story which is a portrait of war and a powerful exploration of how far we will go to protect our families, set between World War II Naples and the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood.Wartime Naples 1943. Luisa Giordano knows how to weather loss, first that of her father to a deadly illness, then the man she loved for all her life to the Resistance, and now the unborn child she had longed for - at the hands of her own husband. All she has left is her voice, and she must use it to fuel the women of Naples with fire.Los Angeles 1962. Hollywood icon Lola Hart has long since shed her past as Lolita Vaccaro, a girl from the rough part of Naples. The unfulfilling roles and insecure fiancée a welcome respite from the distressing memories of a crumbling family on the other side of the world. But when the role of a lifetime becomes intertwined with the facts of Lola's past, the ghosts she encounters threaten to break apart the new identity she has so carefully crafted. So, why can't she help but look deeper . . .?(P) 2023 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
The Traitor: A British Library Spy Classic (British Library Spy Classics #0)
by Sydney Horler“War is coming—and that means our secret agents must get busy.” August 1918. On his way to the Western Front, Captain Alan Clinton spends a night in Paris with a young Frenchwoman, Marie Roget. Seduced by Marie’s charms, Clinton discloses British military secrets – with disastrous consequences. Seventeen years later. The central European state of Ronstadt is ruled by the ruthless dictator Kuhnreich, and Europe is inching towards another war. Clinton’s son Bobby travels to Europe as the political situation grows tenser, and seems dangerously close to repeating the sins of his father – leaving only his girlfriend to prove his innocence in a race against time. This new edition of The Traitor gives contemporary readers a long overdue chance to rediscover an early thriller that is plotted with dash and verve – a novel that helps to explain the author’s phenomenal popularity in his own time.
The Traitor: A Novel
by Ava GlassBritish spy Emma Makepeace goes undercover on a Russian oligarch&’s superyacht, where she&’s one wrong move away from a watery grave, in this electrifying thriller from the author of Alias Emma.&“Emma Makepeace is a worthy heir to the James Bond mantle.&”—James PattersonAn MI6 operative is found dead, locked in a suitcase inside his own apartment. Despite an exhaustive search, no fingerprints are found at the scene. Emma Makepeace and her handler, Ripley, know an assassination when they see one, and such an obvious murder can mean only one thing: Someone is sending a message.As she digs into his past, Emma discovers that the unfortunate spy had been investigating two Russian oligarchs based in London. He&’d become obsessed with the idea that the two were spies, aided by a third man—whose identity he had yet to uncover. When he shared his findings within MI6 in the weeks before he died, the response came back fast and clear: Drop the investigation and move on. Had he uncovered a secret that cost him his life?To pick up where he left off without ending up in a suitcase of her own, Emma goes undercover on one of the oligarch&’s million-dollar yachts, scheduled to set sail from the Côte d&’Azur to Monaco. Under other circumstances, this would be a dream vacation. But if Emma&’s real identity gets discovered, it&’s a death sentence.As Emma&’s work reveals secrets she&’d be safer not knowing, the danger ratchets up. The killer may be closer to home than any of them imagined, and Emma won&’t be safe until he—or she—is caught.
The Traitors' Gate
by AviJohn Huffam is sure the tall man's beard is false. He's sure of little else in November 1849, the year he is fourteen, the year his father is sentenced to London's Whitecross Street Prison. Pa isn't prepared to reveal the truth, any more than the jovial bailiff, Mr. Tuckum, who knows something but remains mum. Or the little Frenchman, Mr. Farquatt, who courts John's sister but seems most keen on Pa's work at the Naval Ordinance Office. Or Mr. O'Doul, the Irishman who insists Pa owes him the unimaginable sum of three hundred pounds. Or what of the one-legged, single-mindedly fierce Sergeant Muldspoon, John's teacher? What about the boy's great-great-aunt, Lady Euphemia Huffam, who could pay the debt but won't for reasons of her own? What about the secretive Mr. Snugsbe of All Hallows Church, who hides himself away in the City's most voluminous coat? Then there's Chief Inspector Ratchet of Scotland Yard, who is after somebody for some crime or other. True, John has a new friend and ally in young Sary the Sneak... but what has even she got up her sleeve? What John learns on his own is that there's a traitor on the loose, somewhere. And he must uncover the villain--no matter who it might be. With the lives and well being of his family at stake, not knowing who he can trust, John is a boy among dangerous, devious and confusing adults. He must quickly learn to stand up to them and look beneath the surface for the truth. Avi has written this historical novel in the style of Charles Dickens including using the dialect of London's poor and uneducated citizens and the style of speech common in England in 1849.
The Traitors’ Gate
by Karina RaudeJohn Huffam is sure the tall man's beard is false. He's sure of little else in November 1849, the year he is fourteen, the year his father is sentenced to London's Whitecross Street Prison. Maybe the man following John -- who claims to be one Inspector Copperfield -- can explain why. Surely, Pa isn't prepared to reveal the truth, any more than the jovial bailiff, Mr. Tuckum, who knows something, but remains mum. Or the little Frenchman, Mr. Farquatt, who courts John's sister but seems most keen on P...
The Transcendent Holmes
by John Warwick MontgomeryIn a series of sparkling and intelligently presented essays, Dr. Montgomery takes a fresh look at the world "where it is always eighteen ninety-five" -- the world of Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes. Besides examining long debated problems, such as the true location of 221B, which was Holmes's University, how many times Watson was married, and where Watson was wounded, Dr. Montgomery also considers Holmes's activities in Tibet, his writings, his brother Mycroft, and his liking for fine wines. In a stunning climax to the volume, the reader is presented with a discussion between Holmes and Watson which will almost certainly cause him/her to pause, think, and deeply consider the depth of the message conveyed. Dr. Montgomery is a Sherlockian of long-standing. These essays prove that his time devoted to his subject has been very well spent indeed.
The Transcendental Murder (The Homer Kelly Mysteries #1)
by Jane LangtonIn an intellectual hamlet, century-old love letters give rise to murder The citizens of Concord, Massachusetts, never tire of their heritage. For decades, the intellectuals of this little hamlet have continued endless debates about Concord's favorite sons: Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and their contemporaries. Concord's latter-day transcendental scholars are a strange bunch, but none is more peculiar than Homer Kelly, an expert on Emerson and on homicide. An old-fashioned murder is about to put both skills to the test. At a meeting of the town's intellectuals, Ernest Goss produces a cache of saucy love letters written by the men and women of the transcendentalist sect. Although Homer chortles at the idea that Louisa May Alcott and Ralph Waldo Emerson might have had a fling, Goss insists the letters are real. He never gets a chance to prove it. Soon after he is found killed by a musket ball. The past may not be dead, but Goss certainly is.
The Transculturation of Judge Dee Stories: A Cross-Cultural Perspective (Routledge Studies in Chinese Comparative Literature and Culture)
by Yan WEIThis book views the Dutch Sinologist, Robert van Gulik’s Judge Dee mysteries as a hybrid East-West form of detective fiction and uses the concept of transculturation to discuss their hybrid nature with respect to their sources, production, and influence. The Judge Dee Mysteries authored by Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) were the first detective stories to be set in ancient China. These hybrid narrative combine Chinese historical figures, traditional Chinese crime literature and Chinese history and material culture with ratiocinative methods and psychoanalytic themes familiar from Western detective fiction. This new subject and detective image won a global readership, and the book discusses the innovations that van Gulik’s Judge Dee mysteries brought to both Chinese gong’an literature and Western detective fiction. Furthermore, it introduces contemporary writers from different countries who specialize in writing detective fiction or gong’an novels set in ancient China. The book will meet the interest of fans of Judge Dee stories throughout the world, and will also appeal to both students and researchers of comparative literature, Chinese literature, and crime novels studies.
The Transgressors (Mulholland Classic)
by Jim ThompsonDeputy sheriff Tom Lord knows by now that far-west Texas is the place he'll always call home. He's spent too much time in the region's small towns to adapt to another place. And that's all right with him. What's not all right is being a deputy sheriff, where if it weren't for family misfortune, he might have been a doctor instead.Lord's got one ace-in-the-hole--the land deed that makes him the biggest landowner in the county, just as the oil companies have started to move in.When Tom's approached by Aaron McBride of Highlands Oil and Gas with a contract to set up pipelines on his property, he's more than happy to sign on the dotted line with barely more than a cursory glance at the paperwork--it just might be Lord's way out of a life he never wanted in the first place. But when Lord finds out just what that contract entailed, things start to go sour for Aaron McBride--and fast. Because in this Texas town, Lord's the law--and there's nothing more dangerous than a cop with nothing left to lose.
The Transparency of Time: A Novel (Mario Conde Investigates #9)
by Leonardo PaduraFrom Leonardo Padura—whose crime novels featuring Detective Mario Conde form the basis of Netflix’s Four Seasons in Havana—The Transparency of Time sees the Cuban investigator pursuing a mystery spanning centuries of occult history.Mario Conde is facing down his sixtieth birthday. What does he have to show for his decades on the planet? A failing body, a slower mind, and a decrepit country, in which both the ideals and failures of the Cuban Revolution are being swept away in favor of a new and newly cosmopolitan worship of money.Rescue comes in the form of a new case: an old Marxist turned flamboyant practitioner of Santería appears on the scene to engage Conde to track down a stolen statue of the Virgen deRegla—a black Madonna. This sets Conde on a quest that spans twenty-first century Havana as well as the distant past, as he delves as far back as the Crusades in an attempt to uncover the true provenance of the statue.Through vignettes from the life of a Catalan peasant named Antoni Barral, who appears throughout history in different guises—as a shepherd during the Spanish Civil War, as vassal to a feudal lord—we trace the Madonna to present-day Cuba. With Barral serving as Conde’s alter ego, unstuck in time, and Conde serving as the author’s, we are treated to a panorama of history, and reminded of the impossibility of ever remaining on its sidelines, no matter how obscure we may think our places in the action. Equal parts The Name of the Rose and The Maltese Falcon, The Transparency of Time cements Leonardo Padura’s position as the preeminent literary crime writer of our time.
The Transvection Machine (The Carl Crader Mysteries #1)
by Edward D. HochWhen a government official dies on the operating table, the president calls in the computer cops On Venus, a radical exile escapes from a maximum-security prison, pledging to return to Washington and assassinate the president. Transport between Earth and the solar colonies is tightly regulated, but the exile knows a shortcut: the top-secret transvection machine, an experimental device that could theoretically be used to teleport men from planet to planet. Vander Defoe, the tool&’s creator, is busy securing it when he feels a pain in his stomach: His appendix is about to explode. Defoe dies in the operating room during routine computerized surgery, and the case falls in the lap of the Computer Investigation Bureau, which has jurisdiction over all computer-related crimes. As the team tries to determine who corrupted the system that killed Defoe, it finds that in this case, all roads lead to Venus.The Transvectioon Machine is the first book in the Carl Crader Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
The Trap
by Alex RoseA family held hostage. A prison escape. A deadly game of survival. The author of The Pact delivers a pulse-pounding home invasion thriller. Emma thought a secluded country cottage would be the perfect break for her family. But their peaceful retreat is shattered when two masked men break in, turning the holiday into a waking nightmare. Calling themselves Jekyll and Hyde, the intruders are no ordinary criminals. They don&’t want money. They want control. And they&’ve devised a sinister plan that will force Emma and her husband Joel to make unthinkable choices—ones that could destroy their family from the inside out. Joel, a bank manager, is sent to rob his own bank. But the real target is Emma, a prison governor with dangerous connections. When the kidnappers force her to help a notorious inmate escape, the stakes turn deadly. One wrong move could cost Emma not only her freedom, but the lives of her husband and daughter. As the plan spirals out of control, alliances shift, and trust is shattered. Jekyll and Hyde&’s motivations run deep and someone close to Emma is hiding a dangerous secret. With time running out, Emma must outsmart the criminals and protect her family—even if it means sacrificing everything.Dark, gritty, and utterly addictive, The Trap will keep you breathless until the final page.
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe Imogen TaylorIn this twisted debut thriller, a reclusive author sets the perfect trap for her sister's murderer--but is he really the killer? For 11 years, the bestselling author Linda Conrads has mystified fans by never setting foot outside her home. Haunted by the unsolved murder of her younger sister--who she discovered in a pool of blood--and the face of the man she saw fleeing the scene, Linda's hermit existence helps her cope with debilitating anxiety. But the sanctity of her oasis is shattered when she sees her sister's murderer on television. Hobbled by years of isolation, Linda resolves to use the plot of her next novel to lay an irresistible trap for the man. As the plan is set in motion and the past comes rushing back, Linda's memories--and her very sanity--are called into question. Is this man a heartless killer or merely a helpless victim?