Synopses & Reviews
Hallie Owen, a magazine columnist from Detroit, Michigan, travels to Alburn, Texas, to pursue the coveted dream of writing the history of the town's most prominent family, Winston Alburn Mitchell. Too soon, Hallie finds herself struggling to keep secrets she wished she had never heard. The spoiled, 21-year-old Cleo Mitchell told her father and grandfather that she hired Hallie to write the Mitchell family history. But Cleo has an ulterior motive. She lured Hallie to help Cleo expose a dark secret about a man Cleo's father is defending in court. Hallie goes along with Cleo's deception, hoping it will land her the job she really wantsthe professional historical writer of the Mitchell family. Hallie meets Cleo's father, the handsome Mitch. From the moment their eyes meet for the first time, Hallie and Mitch fall deeply in love, just one more thing tugging at Hallie to run away. In the few days that Hallie is in Alburn, she becomes submerged in the Mitchell's family problems. Her effort to maintain conflicting loyalties is futile. She is immersed in an explosive situation that is bound to detonate at any moment. Hallie winds up in the middle of a very dangerous turn of eventsevents that threaten the life, love, and happiness of all involved.
About the Author
Viola M. Walker spends her days writinga blessed culmination of her lifelong dream. A retired executive from the Detroit Public Schools, she has left behind the numerous leadership and professional positions that she held over the years in order to pursue this second career. She is the mother of one adult son that she cherishes dearly, while aunt and godmother to many more. She is an avid jogger, jazz enthusiast, and enjoys digging in the dirt. Though a native Detroiter, she lived in 10 different cities around the country before she realized she was grown. She continues to travel, spends her winters on historic American Beach in Florida, and uses her many experiences to enhance her characters and stories. The House of Secrets is her first novel to be published. She has finished her second and is working on her third.