‘A warning disguised as entertainment’
July 2, 2025
Nancy has garnered a five-star review for “Deadly Secrets” at Literary Titan, an Irvine, Calif.-based publisher of fee-paid reviews of fiction and nonfiction works. Here’s what Editor-in-Chief Thomas Anderson had to say about “Deadly Secrets:”
“Deadly Secrets” is a high-stakes political thriller that drops readers straight into a near-future America fractured by extremism and secession. Centered around Annie Price, an investigative journalist still healing from a past ambush, the story unpacks the creation of a new state called Westcarolina – a theocratic breakaway backed by religious fanatics, corrupt politicians, and shadowy powerbrokers. As Annie chases leads through bombings, government secrets, and personal betrayals, the book balances political commentary with the pulse of a fast-paced mystery.
Let me just say it up front: I devoured this book. The writing has that brisk, no-nonsense cadence you want in a thriller – nothing bloated or overly poetic. Every sentence moves the story forward. Nancy Stancill doesn’t waste time. Her protagonist Annie is sharp without being snarky, tough without being cartoonish. And while the plot careens through explosions, shady politicians, and mounting paranoia, it never forgets the emotional toll all this takes. Annie’s moments of doubt and trauma hit hard. You don’t just watch her chase a story – you feel the cost.
Some characters lean toward caricature, especially the villains. Reverend Kingston Avery, the zealot who builds a “Christian state,” reads at times like a mashup of every televangelist villain trope. That said, his hypocrisy and ambition feel eerily relevant. What really surprised me, though, was how layered the story becomes – especially in the way it weaves Annie’s personal entanglements with broader questions about truth, faith, and power. The romantic subplot adds tension without slowing things down, and there’s this subtle ache in Annie’s longing for normalcy that sneaks up on you.
“Deadly Secrets” feels like a warning disguised as entertainment. It’s a propulsive, emotionally grounded novel that juggles political fiction, crime drama, and character study without dropping the ball. I’d recommend it to fans of investigative thrillers, political dramas, and anyone who likes their mysteries with a bite of real-world grit. If you’ve ever wondered how close fiction can creep to reality, this one might leave you a little uneasy, in all the right ways.
– Thomas Anderson
Editor-In-Chief, Literary TitanGreat time in Belmont
May 30,2025
I had a great time at the Belmont Bookshop. Ann Doss Helms, a friend and former fellow Observer reporter, asked her usual intelligent questions and I got to mingle with a nice crowd at the bookstore.
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Excerpts from recent posts on ‘Deadly Secrets’
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Back at Happy Bookers with ‘Deadly Secrets’
May 17, 2025 I was especially honored on May 15 when the Happy Bookers book club asked me to give a ...Join May 30 talk about ‘Deadly Secrets’ in Belmont
May 11, 2025 I’m going to be a featured writer at Belmont Bookshop’s community night on Friday, May 30 from 6-8 ...Journey to center of Helene need
May 2, 2025 I really enjoyed visiting two nonprofits in Asheville to which I’m donating half the proceeds of my new ...‘Deadly Secrets’ featured in magazine roundup
Join the discussion at Troubadour Booksellers
Feb. 12, 2025 First, I want to thank everyone for showing up at the Park Road Books event Jan. 9 and ...‘Secrets’ launched at Park Road Books
Jan. 9, 2025 Friends and booklovers gathered tonight at Park Road Books for the formal launch of “Deadly Secrets,” “The Park Road ...
Excerpts from recent posts on ‘Tall’
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Carolina Alumni Review publishes note about ‘Tall’
The May-June 2021 edition of the Carolina Alumni Review – the one with Roy Williams on the cover – included ...Landis Wade podcast about ‘Tall’
May 7, 2021 The conversation below with Charlotte podcaster Landis Wade at charlottereaderspodcast.com was recorded in February and released today. I ...Happy (Bookers) Hour
Feb. 20, 2021 Nancy talked about “Tall” during a Zoom meeting of the Happy Bookers book club. The Feb. 18 ...Why I wrote a memoir before another novel
Feb. 7, 2021 I’ve written two novels about Annie Price, investigative reporter, and intend to write a third – someday. Readers ...‘I really wanted to leave a legacy’
Jan. 5, 2021 Suffolk (Va.) News-Herald writer Rachel Wartian wrote about “Tall” and the stories Nancy Stancill tells about her parents, ...Daily Tar Heel reports on memoir by one of the newspaper’s alumnae
Jan. 3, 2021 Lily Chubb at the Daily Tar Heel at UNC Chapel Hill published an article about DTH alumna Nancy ...
Excerpts from posts on ‘Saving Texas’
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With The Opiners, about Saving Texas
April 10, 2019 Nancy talked about her first novel, Saving Texas, with Opining Women, a long-standing book club in Charlotte. The ...Beyond ‘It was a dark and stormy night….’
Sept. 27, 2017 I really enjoyed talking about Saving Texas and Winning Texas to gracious and literate members of the Carolina Women’s ...Q&A with Saving Texas author in Daily Tar Heel
Oct. 7, 2014 Sindhu Chidambaram publishes a Q&A with the author of Saving Texas in The Daily Tar Heel here. Cached ...Josh Whitener reviews Saving Texas for Charlotte Weekly
Sept. 5, 2014 Josh Whitener reviewed Saving Texas for The Charlotte Weekly here. Cached here.Linda C. Brinson reviews Saving Texas for Greensboro News & Record
Aug. 19, 2014 Linda C. Brinson writes a review and conducts an interview with the author of Saving Texas for the ...
Excerpts from my blog posts
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What’s next for Annie
Sept.8, 2024 #bookandcatBook sales at Queens
Feb. 2, 2024 Nancy sold copies of all three of her books Friday at the Senior Scholars at Queens Expo. Susan ...Reflecting on the memoir form
July 6, 2023 First published July 5 at Cully Perlman’s NovelMasterClass.com’s blog under the headline “GUEST POST: Writing Memoir: Nancy Stancill’s ...The Last Day
March 19, 2021 I wrote this poem about my mother-in-law Jaye, who died two weeks ago. The Last Day Hungry. Stop for a chicken sandwich. Arrive ...Building a legacy
Jan. 28, 2021 I walked into the Charlotte Observer building for the first time in the spring of 1993. An editor ...
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