THE COURAGE OF PASSION weaves a story of passionate love into a narrative of covert war and vengeance to create an evocative story of intense commitment and the courage it calls forth in the face of mortal threat. Michael Goodman, a respected professor at an elite New England university carefully navigating the boundary between scholarship and intelligence gathering, finds himself drawn to Lauren Stanwood, a brilliant colleague at a university across town, and she to him. Lauren is kidnapped by Vitaly Berezin, a Russian spy. He is using her as bait to draw Michael into a trap, seeking revenge for Michael’s role in a covert American intervention ten years earlier that thwarted Berezin’s efforts to secure Russian domination in the Balkans. Lauren and Michael each will go to any length to protect the other. His commitment to her sustains him in the face of what appear to be insurmountable odds in his quest to save her. His courage in the face of a deadly assault that brings him near death unleashes in Lauren a surprising desire for revenge of her own. THE COURAGE OF PASSION is Lauren’s story as much as it is Michael’s. She is his full equal in intellect, passion, competence, courage, and resilience under threat.