A novel of love and revenge set a century ago amid the Mexican Revolution.
When an eccentric Mexican general dies and leaves his entire fortune to Isabel Brentt, the American daughter-in-law whom he never met, his widow suspects foul play—especially when Isabel disappears with the lawyer responsible for drawing up the will. Manuela Vizcarra de Nyman has her husband disinterred and launches an investigation that ends with her own son, Benjamín, being convicted of his murder. Heartbroken and outraged, Manuela seeks revenge against Isabel, delighting in tormenting the woman she blames for the family’s plight.
Set in Mexico during three crucial years of the Mexican Revolution (1910–13), this is a story of love, revenge, and the choices that define us: A young lawyer sets off on a quest to find the truth about the general’s death. A bodyguard is ordered to murder the man he is supposed to protect. A ruthless criminal falls in love with a prostitute. A priest is forced to maintain an elaborate lie. An accused patricide seeks redemption through a brotherhood of criminals.
Sylvia Montgomery Shaw invites readers to follow the continuing romance of Benjamín and Isabel as both seek their freedom against the backdrop of a brutal war and learn the unexpected strength that can come from one’s inner will.
