The Assignment — Jean Holbrook Mathews

Sophie Adamson: the young, auburn-haired registered nurse kidnapped from a shopping mall with her Filipino roommate, taken hostage by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and compelled to administer medical relief to the wounded son of its kingpin. Julia Wentworth: the middle-aged director of an international charitable foundation, recently shaken by the sudden death of her husband and the near-fatal injury of her son, sent by her respected employer to retrieve his abducted granddaughter, Sophie. Diego Montalbon: known as Monty, the prestigious Metro Manila police detective Julia hires to lead the daunting rescue mission, whose rugged appearance and surefooted ways conceal private wounds of his own. Three individuals whose paths converge in the stark realm of a terrorist underworld. Three lives that entwine amidst the rich beauty of Philippine culture. And one unforgettable story of how love and hope transcend even the most harrowing loss.