Jessica Wyeth refuses to be a fugitive hiding under assumed identities. Through sheer grit, she reclaims her life only to discover what she fights for is an illusion. She is not the child of the picture-perfect New England family, but an unwanted castaway. Her frail and reclusive aunt died without exposing the secret that she was Jessica's mother. Jessica travels to Ireland - her mother's home - to learn why. When Jessica rides in a world-class steeplechase, she is unwittingly used as an accomplice in a devastating bombing in an English shopping mall. The group behind the bombing is the Charity, a generations old support network of the IRA. Michael Conant, reluctant heir to the Charity, must choose his allegiance to his violent family legacy or the woman he loves. Meanwhile, Jessica's fight for her life leads to uncovering her mother's secrets and the divided soul of the Irelands. "The Troubles" is a high-concept suspense novel that views the conflict in Northern Ireland through the prism of American involvement. This sweeping, multi-generational tale gives witness the delicate and dangerous layers inside an ever-unfolding world.