Shadow of the Taj

"Lara Bernhardt writes with ferocious honesty and tenderness, laying open the ugly world of the trafficking of young girls with a bright spear of hope."—Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times best-selling author of The Deep End of the Ocean

★Oklahoma Book Awards Best Fiction Finalist★

★Kindle Book Review 2022 Literary Fiction Semifinalist★

★Pulpwood Queens & Timber Guys International Book Club 2023 Official Selection★

How much would you risk to save one child?

Leslie Matthews travels to India with her husband on a business trip, never expecting it will turn her life upside-down. During a trip to the zoo, she meets Raveena, an orphan desperate for someone to save her from a harrowing fate. Leslie tries to rescue Raveena from a sordid, exploitative underworld, but powerful and brutal men hold the girl and don't intend to let anyone take her. Leslie tumbles into a terrifying underworld of systemic abuse she knows nothing about. But she won't stop until Raveena is safe, regardless of the cost.

In a battle against impossible odds, Leslie wagers everything she has—including her life—to free Raveena.

Shadow of the Taj is a deeply moving, inspirational novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. A must read!