Hallie Owen, a Detroit advocacy journalist, yearns to make
a difference with her writing, just on a bigger scale than
her column affords her. She gets her chance when she is
enticed by Cleo Mitchell, of the famed Winston Mitchell
family of Texas, by the prospect of writing the family's
history. The deal? Hallie has to help Cleo expose the
secrets of a man accused of rape and murder, which will
hopefully lead to his conviction. Never mind that that
man is being defended by Cleo's father.
Mitch, as Attorney Winston Mitchell, Jr. is called, has a
tempestuous relationship with his only daughter, one that
causes him to keep his distance from her and her
projects. But he is immediately drawn to Hallie, and she
to him. Hallie must find a way to honor her pledge to
help Cleo, deal with Mitch, and hopefully fulfill her
desire—and the desire of "Pops", the senior Winston
Mitchell—to write the family saga that could make her
career.
HOUSE OF SECRETS was a puzzling read for me. Slow to get
started, I didn't feel pulled into the story until about a
quarter of the way through. I also was slightly
disappointed by the ending. The final obstacle
to "happily ever after" just seemed to turn around too
quickly and felt a bit unbelievable to me.
Overall, however, I found Ms. Walker to be a good
storyteller and can honestly say I enjoyed this novel.
The meat of the story is fast-paced and has enough
unexpected plot twists to more than entrance an eager
reader. The plot is creative and imaginative, and the
characters are intriguing. HOUSE OF SECRETS is a
commendable debut novel and I look forward to reading more
from Ms. Walker.
Hallie Owen, a magazine columnist from Detroit,
Michigan travels to Alburn, Texas to pursue the coveted dream of
writing the history for the Town’s most prominent Family,
the Winston
Alburn Mitchells. When Hallie meets the handsome
Mitch, she feels
a deep abiding attraction for him. The Mitchell
Family, however,
is locked in long, hidden secrets—secrets Hallie wishes she
never heard.
Her effort to maintain conflicting loyalties is
futile. Caught in
the middle of a whirlwind of deception, Hallie’s commitment
to the
truth jeopardizes her newfound love. And the truth will
plunge her into
the middle of a very dangerous set of events, threatening
the life,
love and happiness of everyone involved.
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