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Lilies in the Dark
Steven Hamilton
The first novel of the trilogy Lilies of the Underground.
A battered wife on the run is murdered by her violent, estranged husband. The man then turns the gun on himself. Reverend Janet Polasky of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Bellevue, Washington, witnessed the entire event. And it shook her to the very foundations of her being.
And so she sets out to help these women—by making them disappear. They go to new cities, states, and sometimes other countries. They change their names… and their entire lives. But her efforts do not go unchallenged. Some men, obsessed and with unlimited resources, relentlessly pursue their abused wives. And it does not take long until Janet and her associates are in their crosshairs. Only then does she understand the power of her enemies.
Unlikely allies come to her aid. including an eccentric billionaire and several mercenaries. Alongside these friends, she fights back. The underground network that she creates becomes a dark and dangerous battleground. In the balance are the lives of women and children who might otherwise suffer and die. In many cultures, the lily bloom is associated with fresh life and rebirth. These battered and beaten women give purpose to Janet’s struggle. They are Lilies of the Underground.