Faces at the table

A young woman, trapped in a marriage of despair and intrigue, finds her means of survival through the chance meeting with a stranger. against her parents' wishes, alexandra comenus elopes with stanley whitmore, a wealthy non-greek. the fact that stanley does not understand the closeness that exists in the comenus family, and that alexandra's father does not fully accept his son-in-law sets the stage for a rocky marriage. stanley takes alexandra to live in his elegant happy canyon home, located in the lush santa ynez valley. slowly and systematically he exerts his control to cut his wife off from her family. when he forces alexandra to quit her teaching job, she loses that lifeline to her students and colleagues. ashamed to enlist the help of her family, the once pretty and vivacious alexandra deteriorates, both physically and in spirit. it is only by chance that she meets a stranger who ultimately guides her back to normalcy and survival. at the same time, stanley's mysterious past unfolds, revealing a former life rife with murder and blackmail. the twists and turns of this story take the reader on a journey of heartache, terror, and final solution, through the eyes of alexandra.