Lord John Grey has not asked many questions about the circumstances surrounding his father's death 17 years ago. His family's honor was challenged with assumptions that John's father was a Jacobite agent and it has, at times, seemed best to let the situation lie. But suddenly, John and his brother, Hal, find a single page from their father's diary -- a diary that was supposedly burned -- and it seems that someone is threatening John's life.

Hal still doesn't want to take his younger brother into his confidence, and John becomes frustrated as he strives to find out if his father truly was as bad as he was portrayed.

John certainly understands leading a double life. A soldier and excellent bladesman, John's private life would shock his family, friends and society. And it would definitely get him executed. But there is a chance he may find love at last -- and maybe the answer to secrets that will destroy or save his family.

Ms. Gabaldon reaches inside the reader and sifts through all possible emotions -- from the flirtatious simplicity of first desire to the intricately woven emotions that abound in all families. Honestly, I couldn't decide whether I loved it or hated it -- but I know I had to read it. You must too.