And recommendations -- The sources and scope of violence in Peru -- The judiciary -- Penal conditions -- Congressional investigations of human rights abuses.

Sarah Ryan's hope for a new life in the Arizona Territory is shattered in an instant by gunfire. Suddenly, she has to rebuild an uncertain future with her orphaned nephew, Will, and take on the challenges of a cattle ranch. Just when order returns, veteran lawman, L.T. McAllister rides in. He's a dangerous man determined to do what's right regardless of the personal cost. L.T. believes himself ready for anything until he meets Sarah. Her ideas about the man he's become soon pit his lifetime of duty against desire. L.T.'s and Sarah's loyalty to Will catapults them into a life for which neither one is prepared. And when L.T. and Sarah defy Sheriff Grant Simpson, they trigger a cataclysm of retaliation that escalates into kidnapping and murder. L.T. and Sarah are forced into a battle for justice... and their lives.

In Dire Straits is a healing memoir about the challenges of coping with and recovering from an incapacitating rheumatoid disease. Told from the perspective of a solo world traveler, it reads like a travel book, full of edifying adventures and quirky discoveries. Each encounter prompts reflection on self-empowerment through greater mindfulness, curiosity and imagination.

The first of a planned series of four novels, IN DESPERATE STRAITS describes the clash of cultures that led up to the Muslim conquest of Spain.