Fate of the Unwilling

In this darkly riveting debut-a psychological thriller about inescapable fate-a woman wakes in the damp woods of a Washington harbor town naked and bruised, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Maybe she's a victim. Maybe not. She stumbles through heavy fog towards a marina, drawn to the deaf man who will change her life forever.

Silas Wayland offers his guest room. He even agrees to call her Daphne when she refuses Jane Doe. But that's not her name. She's three-thousand-miles away from home and he doesn't believe in coincidences. What does she want and is the memory loss real? Keeping an eye on her is the only way to protect his secrets and conceal their connection until he can be sure.

When his brother shows up with a badge and a lot of questions, neither is eager to trust the small-town cop or the FBI trailing behind, but both discover their secrets are only as warm as the lies they tell.

Disturbing memories return painting a woman she doesn't want to be. Links to a class-action lawsuit, a corporate cover-up, an affair, and blackmail-all signs of a life worth forgetting-ensure she keeps the past to herself. Authorities are anxious to find an attacker but she traces the sparks that ignited him.

In a sprint to the truth, she reconstructs the events leading up to that foggy morning, determined to vindicate her transgressions and find justice. Gathering evidence to take down the men who wanted her silent won't be legal but Silas may be the only person qualified to help. He wavers between her cause and blowing his cover until he discovers the forces that brought her there set targets on him.

This face-paced thriller will grip your heart and shake it until the very last paragraph.