She bolted toward the center of the room only to freeze again. There was a second man she hadn't seen standing in the shadows who slowly pulled a large knife from his belt as she backed toward the wall.

"Fiesty little bitch, ain't you?" He took a cautious step toward her as she slid along the wall feeling for something to fight with. "This is gonna hurt real bad." Leonida let out an ear-splitting scream as he raised the knife.

She came to California as a young bride in an arranged marriage. Now she owns seventy-five square miles of property bordering the Mokelumne River where gold has been discovered. They want her land and will stop at nothing, even if it means her murder.

Mitchell's research of the customs and traditions of the mining towns and the ranchos gives The Doña authenticity." The Modesto Bee

"A terrific novel, one I could not put down." KAZV – TV, Channel 14

"A good book written by a good writer." Rex Fraser – Barnes & Noble