The president's daughter... The women determined to save her... The man with the power to betray a nation... Iris Johansen, the New York Times bestselling author of The Killing Game and The Search , returns with an explosive new novel that sweeps us from the frightening nightmares of a young girl, to the deadly world of international intrigue, and to the shadowy bond between two sisters willing to put their lives on the line.... No sooner does Melissa Riley arrive at her sister's isolated Virginia country home than she finds herself drawn into a drama she never expected. Years earlier, her sister, the renowned Dr. Jessica Riley, had pulled Melissa out of the darkness of severe catatonic trauma. Now she's attempting to do the same for the daughter of the president of the United States. The last thing young Cassie Andreas saw was an organized team ruthlessly murder her nanny and the Secret Service agents on duty to protect her. And to free Cassie from the terrors in her own mind, Melissa and Jessica must risk their own safety and sanity and place their trust in a mysterious, charismatic man. Michael Travis made his fortune in the international underworld. He risked everything to save Cassie during that terrible night of bloodshed. And he has entered into a secret bargain with the president to get revenge. But does he really want to help? Why? Or is his show of concern all a treacherous charade? Melissa and Jessica have no choice but to accept Michael Travis as their ally -- even when he proposes a dangerous plan that will put all their lives on the line. Because far away from the safety of Virginia, an international game of deadly intrigue is under way. It is a game of powerful and dangerous underworld figures whose specialty is getting what they want -- and whose means to do it is murder. And of one killer in particular who is obsessed with the very thing at the heart of Cassie's nightmares. Jessica Riley is a psychiatrist whose experience with catatonic trauma is personal as well as professional: she brought her beloved sister Melissa back from total mental withdrawal with her patience and skill. When the daughter of the president retreats into blankness after seeing her nanny and her Secret Service protector murdered, Jessica is summoned to treat the little girl. Although Jessica can't reach into her young patient's frightened mind, Melissa can--and only Melissa understands why Cassie's so afraid. When Michael Travis, the mysterious and not totally benign stranger who rescued Cassie from the kidnap-assassination that traumatized her, arrives at Jessica's Virginia estate, he's able to stop the child's nightmares long enough for Melissa to join Cassie in her self-imposed darkness and pull her back into the light. But the price he asks for his continued presence is one that Jessica, Melissa, and the president may not be able to meet. Is he an ally or an enemy? Even Melissa isn't sure--and her complicated feelings for Travis and Cassie are especially tortured because her unusual gifts allow her to see a bloody future for both of them, one she may not be able to prevent. Iris Johansen ( The Killing Game , The Search ) ratchets up the suspense in this fast-moving thriller, which ranges across international borders from Washington to Amsterdam to Paris with the help of Air Force One and Two. While the president isn't very satisfactorily developed except as a frightened father who'll do almost anything to save his daughter, Travis and Melissa are fascinating characters who linger in the mind after the last explosive page; hopefully, Johansen will revisit them in a future adventure. Meanwhile, this is her best and most engaging read in years. --Jane Adams From GQ's fiction editor: the story of a man obsessed with accumulating one million frequent flier miles and the hell that breaks loose as he approaches his goal. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. The U.S. president's seven-year-old daughter, Cassie, is trapped in a nightmare world after escaping a violent kidnapping attempt in France. The little girl is placed in the care of Dr. Jessica Riley, who brought her own sister, Melissa, back from a catatonic state and now hopes to do the same for Cassie. Melissa, a student at Harvard, is impelled by her dreams to visit Jessica at their home in Virginia, where she becomes involved with her sister's newest patient. The little girl and the Riley household are sheltered from the press by a small army of Secret Service agents, but they can't keep Cassie's savior, the mysterious Michael Travis, away. The president acknowledges his help but sees him as a threat because he's an international thief and his true motivation is unclear. The president requests that Travis be kept away from the child. Against the president's orders, Jessica decides to involve Travis in her treatment; when he needs to go to Amsterdam for a secret business deal, he takes all three gals with him in a well-orchestrated esca