Are we determined by our circumstances, or our responses to them? Are we victims of our natures, our innate temperaments, or what deal life hands us? Is most of the course of our life determined by the time we hit age 12?

Two orphans, one of means and one without, roommates, meet at Bennington College in Vermont in the early nineteen fifties. Their needs and strengths seem to fit together like it was fated, in an unhealthy, neurotic puzzle. Alice, relieved that someone finally understands her, gains strength from the relationship, and grows past it, reaching out to a life beyond the tragedy of losing her parents. Lucy finds the love she will always care for faithfully, the end of struggle, the beginning of real life shared. So begins the emotionally charged, sickeningly tragic trajectory these young women begin, that cannot end well.

Strength and weakness, lies and deception, denial and betrayal, all leading to murder and cover up, and finally escape--what a terrific summer read! Believable characters, set in beautiful, exotic Tangiers, Morocco, a character itself, perfect for the inescapable showdowns that must result from inevitable, overdue confrontations too long postponed. All elements combine for a very satisfying summer suspense.