"If you liked Francine Rivers' A Voice in the Wind, you'll love Tracy Higley's Palace of Darkness! It grabbed me from page one and never let go, Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author. She believed the city in stone could protect her from the past; until it threatened to destroy her future. Cassia, a destitute young widow, seeks refuge for herself and her young son, Alexander, in Petra, the home of his late father's estranged family. The capital of the flourishing Arabian empire, a city carved in rock and still free of Roman control, Petra is hidden away among towering sandstone cliffs. Cassia hopes to secure a future here with Alexander's relatives and enjoy the family life she's never known.But Alexander's father was not the man Cassia thought. He kept a great secret from her; a secret that leads an evil queen to steal Alexander from his mother and plan his destruction. As the plot against her son unfolds, Cassia finds unexpected allies in her new friend, Julian, and the mysterious followers of The Way. These strangers sacrifice everything to help Cassia rescue her son from the dark palace and the pagan queen. And they offer Cassia the love and security of a family, asking for nothing in return. With Roman soldiers poised to invade the city, Cassia learns that it will take more than her new friends to save her son's life. It will take a strength and a power beyond any Cassia has ever known; if she is willing to surrender and trust in the One True God"--