Raised by an alcoholic mother, Lelia Freeman runs away at 16, determined to make a better life for herself. Moving from New York to Los Angeles, she lives on the streets, determined not to succumb to the lure of drugs and prostitution. She survives, fending for herself, ultimately empowered by congregants of a Christian church who encourage her to help other homeless runaways.
Fast-forward 10 years: courageous Lelia has been transformed into a prominent child advocate. Appointed to a government task force in search of orphans in the war-torn Sudan, Lelia sets off, only to discover the greater implications of her mission. Things take a dangerous turn when a corrupt political leader takes Lelia prisoner. Can Elijah Dune, a mercenary grappling with skeletons from his own past, rescue Lelia from a deadly fate?
In this debut suspense novel, Alicia Singleton creates authentic characters, then embroils them in a chilling, complicated story. Her language is vivid: as rats crawl along tenement baseboards, readers will shiver, feeling the depths of predatory evil--and compassion--Lelia encounters. Throughout the course of this haunting novel, Singleton reminds readers of the human instinct to to do the right thing, despite the personal cost. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines