Vietnam war hero Luke Ballard thought his miserable childhood, ridiculed as a bastard in a small Alabama town, was behind him. Then his beloved mother, with her dying breath, reveals how she was raped by three men the night he was conceived, and he secretly vows to avenge her.

Luke runs for town sheriff and wins. It's the 60's, and his sights are not only on debasing the monsters who violated his mother, but he must confront corruption, gambling, prostitution and the KKK, rendering his own brand of justice.

Along the way, Luke meets Emma Jean, the much-abused wife of his old high-school nemesis, and falls in love.

As secret, passionate rendezvous and deadly determination turn into a maelstrom of retribution, Luke and Emma must unravel the truth to create their own final justice.

Previously published as: Cry Me A River

OTHER TITLES by Patricia Hagan

Say You Love Me

Starlight

Simply Heaven

Orchids in Moonlight