In the Shadow of Fear: When Revenge is Not Enough

E. S. Zaccaro

When Micheala experiences a traumatic, life-altering assault, the trajectory of her life suddenly changes in ways she never thought possible. After being told by police that her attacker’s DNA did not match any in the state or federal databases, Micheala’s steadfast belief in the power of forgiveness abruptly ends and her thoughts turn to vengeance and justice. As she begins a search for the identity of the man who brutalized her, Micheala submits DNA from her assailant’s discarded cigarettes to an open-source genealogy site—cigarettes that she collected and concealed from law enforcement. A short time later, she is not only provided with the ancestral makeup of the man who assaulted her, but she is also given the names of several of his distant relatives. If she has any hope of finding the identity of the man who upended her life, Micheala must now start the daunting task of reverse engineering an extensive family tree that most likely contains close to a thousand names. In order for Micheala’s life to again reach equilibrium, and for her to fully heal, the man who attacked her had to be identified and the evil he embodied permanently stopped—either by prison or death. This is what motivated and inspired her. This is what gave her the passion, patience and courage to methodically track down her assailant. (Summary via Amazon)

Readers will be left in awe after reading In the Shadow of Fear : When Revenge is Not Enough by E.S. Zaccaro. Even though the story is a devastating experience for main character Micheala “Mike” Kilborne how she handles it will be truly amazing.

In In the Shadow of Fear Mike is assaulted and held and tortured in her home for hours but unable to identify her assailant. Luckily, she keeps a few of the discarded cigarettes he left behind hoping to use them to get DNA. Even though the police are also doing an investigation, Mike feels that in order to obtain closure and to get her life back, she needs to do whatever she can to find out his identity.

Mike is also about to start her new job as a teacher at Duluth University…this is where she decides to take her research a step further by talking to another teacher who specializes in forensic genealogy. After sitting in on his class she approaches him and the two begin working together on her project. Mike is very vague as to her research but explains that when she is ready, she will fill him in more.

As the two work closely together, Mike meets Logan’s father and the three meet regularly and friendships are formed. However, Logan begins to develop serious feelings for Mike but Mike is still struggling with her assault and cannot get close to anyone until she completes her research. Little do either of them realize that an encounter one night on the way to dinner will end up providing them with the missing piece to the puzzle……

Readers will love this story for the drama, the suspense and you would never imagine that Eaccaro can throw a love story into the mix of all the darkness. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they read and get close to Mike and Logan finally cracking the case and when it all unfolds, reader will be SHOCKED !!!