First published 2000
Kathy Nicolo loses her modest California home to a tax auction she never saw coming. The house represents her last connection to stability in a life that has already stripped away too much. Colonel Behrani, a former Iranian military officer now working construction jobs to survive in America, buys the property at auction. He sees it as his family's path back to respectability and financial security. When Kathy discovers the sale was a bureaucratic error, she demands her house back. Behrani refuses to sell at a loss. Sheriff Lester Burdon enters the conflict when he responds to a call at the disputed property. He falls for Kathy and becomes determined to help her reclaim what she believes is rightfully hers. Each person has valid reasons for their position. Each has everything to lose. Their competing claims escalate into a crisis that will destroy lives. This is a story about the American dream turned nightmare, where good people make terrible choices when pushed to their limits.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: California
Period: 20th-century
365 pages · Paperback · Vintage Contemporaries
Content warnings: depression