The Bottom Line: Crackling with immediacy and suspense, Deadly Secrets is an unforgettable political thriller about murder, corruption and personal freedom in the divided states of America.
Welcome to Westcarolina, the newest American state. Encompassing a conservative region of what was once western North Carolina, the new government is sponsored and backed by Kingston Avery, the state’s minister-governor. The move follows a pattern happening elsewhere. Secessionists in Texas are planning more violence en route to becoming a true nation, and similar movements are also underway in Alaska and California.
As Deadly Secrets open, a radicalized anti-abortion activist and his wife are about to become domestic terrorists. Specifically, they bomb a local chemical plant that makes a key ingredient of the abortion pill. The act appears to have the full backing of God’s Gift leadership, of which they are insiders.
Enter 42-year-old Pulitzer-prize winning reporter Annie Price. After accepting a new job offer, she travels to Westcarolina to cover the new state. Little does she know that one of Avery’s top officials, Rob Ryland, is responsible for murdering her best friend back in Texas.
Annie quickly sets about interviewing residents, community leaders and politicians. Among her findings are that God’s Gift has significant business investments, including residential real estate, retail shopping centers, as well as budding media and marijuana empires. She also learns that competing churches are being forced to pay taxes for the privilege of operating in Westcarolina. But as Annie continues to dig into what appears to be an unconstitutional theocracy in the making, a series of troubling “accidents” begin to claim the lives of Avery’s rivals – and even some of his allies.
Author Nancy Stancill devotes much of the narrative to Annie’s point of view, but also offers significant glimpses into Avery’s inner circle. Given how much access we have to Avery and Rob’s insidious plans, readers often know about major plot twists long before Annie does. Nevertheless, Stancill’s approach begins paying off when certain extremists realize that even they are horrified at what lines may be crossed if the new state’s current trajectory goes unchecked. As the book reaches its conclusion and inevitable power struggles emerge, Stancill proves that no character is truly safe.
As a veteran reporter, Annie’s resilience is expected. But Stancill has also done wonders with Annie’s backstory. Her complicated personal life – she’s a soon-to-be-mother who can’t choose between two lovers — is all the more fascinating in the context of Westcarolina, where the ability to make personal choices appears to be disappearing fast. The book can be read as pure entertainment, but given how closely the book parallels real political divisions, it’s equally effective as a warning.
