Aug. 24, 2025
My suspense novel, Deadly Secrets, has raised several thousand dollars for two Western North Carolina disaster funds. Half the full-price proceeds went to Hearts with Hands; the other half went to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. The organizations are assisting hard-hit Hurricane Helene victims, many in Buncombe and Swannanoa counties.
I spent a lot of time in the mountains as a child, and it seemed appropriate to use this book to help an area that’s so dear to me.
I hope I will be able to send these two organizations more money.
The mystery is set in the mountains and in Charlotte and Texas. Deadly Secrets is the third of my Annie Price, investigative reporter, series, and the first set in North Carolina. Most of the action takes place in Charlotte and Blowing Rock.
The new novel centers on a powerful evangelical minister who wants to take over Western North Carolina. He persuades the N.C. legislature and Congress to split North Carolina into two states, adding two more senators and several new Congress members to the conservative ranks.
The minister becomes governor of Westcarolina and begins changing it to reflect his beliefs and line his pockets. Annie, reporting for the newspaper, investigates murder, corruption and the erosion of personal freedom in the new state.
I worked for 15 years for the Charlotte Observer as an investigative reporter and assigning editor. Before that, I worked for 15 years for the Houston Chronicle. The life of the newsroom is prominent in all three novels and many of the plot points come from my real-life experiences.
The book was released by Black Rose Writing in late December 2024 and it’s for sale at Park Road Books in Charlotte and most online sources.