Many years ago Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For 20 years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever and the balance of power is about to break. . . A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered he is scorned by the suitors - but Penelope recognises in him something terrible: her husband Odysseus returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors - vengeance that will spark a civil war - but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure?

Part of the Penelope series.