ELLA CORRIGAN'S despair at being jilted pales in light of what follows after she makes the hasty decision to marry a man she has long avoided. Unaware that a friend's secret act of jealousy is responsible for her bitter heartache, she enters an existence never imagined during sweeter days as Mistress of her father's Savannah River plantation - where a mystery is building around the family's phenomenal natural spring, Corrigans' Pool. . . . The South is embroiled in a bloody Civil War by the time Ella discovers that Corrigans' Pool, on her family's property, is much more than the exquisite pond she had thought it to be all her life, but by the time she learns its dangerous secret, she is trapped by a secret of her own, blackmailed, and powerless against one man's unspeakable evil. Haunted by the threat of scandal, she struggles against the horrors of her new existence, an existence she must keep private even from the very people who could help her. Her life comes full circle when the past she has long blamed for her wretchedness steps unexpectedly out of the darkness to face her . . . FIVE STAR FOREWORD CLARION REVIEW (EXCERPT): Ryan's storytelling ability and masterful use of setting, dialogue, and characterization, adds up to an exquisite piece of historical fiction. Corrigans' Pool manages to blend romance, mystery, humor, and tragedy with flawless precision. The romance is moving but subtle, the mystery is suspenseful, and the story flows smoothly to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion. Readers are sure to be enthralled with this exceptional novel. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED