Ann Herendeen

Revenge is a dish best served cold. We've all heard this familiar saying, but few of us understand its real meaning, expressed in a Chinese proverb: Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

For Amalie and Dominic Aranyi, the problem is literal and real. Amalie and her two children, Jana and Val, have been rescued from their ordeal of being kidnapped by bandits and threatened with rape and murder. But the trauma isn't over, especially for Jana, the former tomboy who has become timid and passive, and for Amalie, who had to bring herself and her son to the brink of death.

Now Dominic, with Amalie's active encouragement, is torturing the captured bandit leader, Reynaldo. But when torturers and victim are gifted telepaths, the process threatens to corrupt and destroy the entire household.

As long-buried Aranyi secrets begin to emerge, Amalie realizes it's up to her to save her family. In the final section, Amalie accompanies Dominic on a romantic quest, hoping to convince her husband's beloved companion, Niall Galloway, to return and make the family whole again.

But is it too late? Has the Aranyi family dug its own grave along with Reynaldo's?