A seasoned photojournalist, Bess Grady has honed her craft in the trouble spots of the world. But witnessing the horrors of Somalia and Sarajevo hasn't prepared her for what awaits in a small-town paradise - as an easy assignment turns into a desperate journey into fear. The unimaginable has happened here, and Bess Grady and her sister Emily have unwittingly stumbled right into the middle of it. As chaos and confusion reign, Emily disappears, Bess is taken captive - and escape seems impossible. But when rescue comes from a totally unexpected source, Bess is unprepared for the chilling truth. Tenajo was a testing ground - the first stage in a twisted game plan designed to spread terror, at the cost of countless innocent lives. It is the brainchild of ruthless conspirators whose next target may be the heartland of the United States. Now Bess must join forces with the intimidating stranger who led her out of Tenajo, a man whose motives are suspect, whose alliances are unclear, and whose methods have a way of leaving bodies in his wake. For she will do anything - risk everything - to find her sister, to keep her family safe, and to stop the conspirators from completing their carefully orchestrated plan of destruction.