Sydney Rose Parnell

Sydney Rose Parnell is a Marine and veteran of the Iraq war. She is the heroine of the novel, a character who demonstrates that females can be as emotionally and mentally strong as men.

Despite the danger Sydney faces, she travels to Mexico City to fulfill her promise to Malik, an orphaned boy she met while she was stationed in Iraq. Sydney had tried to adopt Malik and take him home from Iraq, but she was not allowed to do so. After she left the base, Malik disappeared from Iraq. A man helping Sydney locate Malik told her that the boy had been seen in Mexico.

The night that Sydney arrived in Mexico, the man who saw Malik was tortured to death and left in the street for Sydney to see, a reminder of the danger she faced because she was looking for Malik. Malik, whose...