Alfie Carter

An African girl fleeing a brutal war meets a troubled Texas detective in a novel of faith and survival: "Extraordinarily original and real characters." Marian P. Merritt, author of The Moon Has No LightThe seemingly never-ending Cabinda War (1975) has left multitudes dead in its wake and thousands of children homeless and orphaned. Jackaleena N'denga, a young Angolan girl, has become the sole survivor of one particularly brutal village massacre carried out by a band of guerrilla boy-soldiers. But Jackaleena's resilience leads her to an orphanage on the west coast of Africa, known as Benguela by the Sea, where she and other children are taken in and protected. Her brilliant mind and endless questions capture the heart of her mentor, Margaret, who ensures her that her survival thus farespecially as the only survivor from her villagemust mean she has big things ahead of her. When the opportunity arises, she must find her purpose....