MADELINE MOREHOUSE

Code: 10-71

ISBN-13-9781533179043

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As the local purveyor of fine coffee in the sleepy town of Edmonds, Washington, Madeline Morehouse was happily embarking on the second half of her life. Having emerged from a failed marriage, at 46, she was ready to meet her future, and all its promise, head-on.  On a warm spring night, Allan Ray Chestnutt had other plans.  A stolen ladder and a three story climb would put him in Madeline’s bedroom where he would brutally rape her before attempting to rob her of the day’s coffee-shop receipts that she kept in a locked file drawer. Chestnutt’s determination to access the cash gave Madeline a chance to fish her handgun from her purse—and the tables were turned.

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A call to 911 would have the Edmonds police at her door in under a minute to find her naked and bleeding, with her gun pointed squarely on Chestnutt. The criminal was apprehended, but the damage was done.  Designated the local hero for capturing the roving rapist who had been terrorizing the town of Edmonds, Madeline struggles with the aftermath of her ordeal, the unwanted celebrity, the fear that such a violent act could take place against her and the shift in both personal and family relationships.  Life as she knew it was over and the once promising future now seemed daunting—would she ever feel safe again?