Tropic of Guile — Sue McCauley

(There is nothing more precious than one's own children. There is nothing as dangerous as one's own spouse. There is nowhere as deceptive as a tropical island with the appearance of paradise . . . ) Licensed to abuse, Alex forgoes all restraint. His methods of psychological torture become sadistically inventive. At the point of choosing to die, Vicki is saved by Val, who packs her friend off home to the stunned family in Portland. But within the month Vicki is back in Fiji to contest the custody claims Alex has set in motion. Little does she know that this is just round one of a battle that will take her four years and seventy-nine court appearances. In the one corner - Alex Mason, backed of the Fijian hierarchy; in the other corner, Vicki, with her Indian lawyers. (The first, anxious not to jeopardize his own emigration plans, his replacement, Ramu Shankar, driven by his own political agenda)