Feisty singer-songwriter Elena Gadonni's life changes forever on the day she learns that her father Rinaldo is actually "Zio" Gadonni, the Mafia's "Boss of all Bosses." Horrified, Elena repudiates her father and changes her name. But nobody walks out on The Family. Zio schemes secretly to ensnare his daughter into marriage to show-biz agent Lorgan Cantrell. Trapped by his own birth, Lorgan agrees to manage her professionally but privately vows never to romance and certainly never marry this true heroine of the spirit, an act that would betray her independence and force her back into the world of La Cosa Nostra. Elena doesn't know that her sudden career success is being orchestrated by the reluctant heir to the California "Cantrelli" Family. But things take a deadly turn when she decides to testify against her estranged father-and Zio, enraged, puts out a "hit" on his own daughter. Can Elena survive the wrath of her father . . . let alone ever free herself from the iron grip of The Family? THE INNOCENT is a tangled tale of modern-day Mob life-a gripping story of romantic suspense that succeeds without ever romanticizing the brutal underworld of organized crime. "Here is a romantic suspense story with flesh and blood characters who live out the consequences of their values. Love and action are entwined in plot lines that are plausible, engaging, and uplifting." Dr. Pierre Rioux, Psychiatrist and clinical professor of neuroscience