With the publications of her first novel , Dynasty of Death, in 1938, Taylor Caldwell assumed the staus of a major American Novelist. Reviewers and readers alike have lavished praise on this and on her succeedding books. Once again, in Melissa, she shows the tremondous vitality of her work and her rare abilty to draw readers into the spell of a dramatic and powerfullly constructed story. In an atmosphere charged with suspense, and a conflict of wills, a strugle beteen three vivid and unforgettable people emerges , who must rank amongst the most powerful and striking characters that Taylor Caldwell hs yet created.