Haunted by memories of the disastrous Troubles of Northern Ireland, Jeri O'Donnell has joined her old friend, Rafi Gregoric, who is now a power broker in the new Russia. Rafi's current venture is arranging a meeting between a Tibetan monk and a noted UN official. The monk has evidence of brutal Chinese oppression and, if his information becomes public, perhaps the reforms that swept the Soviet Union can reach China. Guiding the UN official through Himalayan highlands is exactly the kind of work that Jeri seeks to exercise her skills and exorcise her conscience. With the help of a Sherpa and his nephew who know the back trails, Jeri hopes to avoid Chinese and Nepali border guards as well as British SAS forces who have targeted her as a terrorist. Just as the mountain trek begins, Jeri encounters Kelly Corcoran, a tourist from the United States. Kelly is aimlessly adrift in Nepal, emotionally desolated by the recent loss of her brother and his friends to AIDS. Both women recognize that a powerful connection links them, but while Kelly is willing to gamble her heart, Jeri struggles against involving anyone in her perilous and chaotic life. An uneasy compromise finds Kelly accompanying the small group at least to the Tibetan border. On this journey, Kelly will need every ounce of her courage and nerve to convince Jeri that the future only makes sense if they risk a life together.

Requiem for Vukovar continues the Refraction series and the exploits of Jeri O’Donnell and her partner, Kelly Corcoran. Summer, 1991: Europe stands on the verge of its most violent crisis since World War II. Yugoslavia is crumbling and two of its republics, Croatia and Serbia, are reverting to an historic hostility. Aware of the gathering storm, Jeri agrees to escort Alenka, the sister of a friend, away from Vukovar, a small Croatian city. A route that ought to be a quick drive plunges the women into a civil war, and they find themselves afoot with other fleeing refugees. Kelly and Jeri finally reach their destination only to find that Alenka is reluctant to leave her home and friends. Too soon, the avenues of escape shut down. In an epic siege largely ignored by the wider world, Kelly, who was prepared to give up comforts and certainties when she became part of Jeri’s nomadic life, encounters more than physical danger. Her ability to maintain her core integrity is assaulted by the inevitable ugliness of war. For Jeri, the true battle is confronting her attraction to violence as she struggles against losing herself in the exhilaration of combat.