Reprisal — Mitchell Smith

Professor, wife, and mother, Joanna Reed is a survivor. But on Asconsett Island, the peaceful Massachusetts coastal town where she and her family spend their summers, her world is suddenly, brutally ripped from its moorings. First, her husband drowns in a bizarre boating mishap. Then her father burns to death in a terrible blaze. Torn apart by grief, rage, and desperation over the apparent accidents, Joanna lets a much needed new friend into her life.

Charis Langenberg is young, beautiful, confident--and seemingly untouched by violence. She offers companionship, understanding, and a loving friendship that slowly bring Joanna back from the abyss. But it is no accident that Charis has come now....