“Lara Bernhardt writes with ferocious honesty and tenderness, laying open the ugly world of the trafficking of young girls with a bright spear of hope.”—Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times best-selling author of The Deep End of the Ocean ★ Oklahoma Book Awards Best Fiction Finalist ★ How much would you risk to save one child? Leslie Matthews travels to India with her husband on a business trip, never expecting it will turn her life upside-down. During a trip to the zoo, she meets Raveena, an orphan desperate for someone to save her from a harrowing fate. Leslie tries to rescue Raveena from a sordid, exploitative underworld, but powerful and brutal men hold the girl and don’t intend to let anyone take her. Leslie tumbles into a terrifying underworld of systemic abuse she knows nothing about. But she won't stop until Raveena is safe, regardless of the cost. In a battle against impossible odds, Leslie wagers everything she has—including her life—to free Raveena. Shadow of the Taj is a deeply moving, inspirational novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. A must read! "Lara Bernhardt writes with ferocious honesty and tenderness, laying open the ugly world of the trafficking of young girls with a bright spear of hope."-Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times best-selling author of The Deep End of the Ocean "This is entertainment with a punch, an exotic setting with a dark side that tourists rarely see. We come away with admiration for those who refuse to look the other way when confronted with evil, and perhaps with a little more courage to do the same."-Marcia Preston, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of The Spiderling Lara Bernhardt is a Pushcart-nominated writer, editor, and audiobook narrator. She is Editor-in-Chief of Balkan Press and also publishes a literary magazine, Conclave. Twice a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction, she writes supernatural suspense and women's fiction. You can follow her on Amazon and on all the socials @larawells1 on Twitter and @larabern10 on Facebook, BookBub, and Instagram.