**DEBUT FICTION** Lara McCauley never wanted to go to Beirut. But in 1983, when her husband's career as a foreign correspondent brings her there in the midst of the civil war, she tries to make the best of it for the sake of her marriage. Unlike the other foreign visitors--most of whom are hard-charging journalists like her husband--Lara can't seem to find her footing in the chaotic city. Although she's relatively insulated from risk, she's as terrified of the frequent eruptions of violence as she is ashamed of her fear. Bored, lonely, and afraid, Lara defies her increasingly bullying husband by befriending a mysterious Polish journalist and beginning to work part-time as a broadcast film editor. But she is an inexperienced player in a dangerous game. As the U.S. Omission of presenceO in Lebanon rapidly morphs into something far more deadly, Lara unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events with devastating consequences. Drawing on her years of experience as a foreign correspondent, Margaret Lowrie Robertson brings war-torn Beirut to life in this gripping debut.