The Big Secret

by Pete Earley

Federal Chief Investigator Nick LeRue is an expert on unraveling a crime; he's brought down some of the smoothest operators on Capitol Hill and uncovered dangerous secrets in politicians' pasts. But when word that his ex-girlfriend, investigative journalist Heather Cole, is missing, Nick is about to learn that nothing is ever what it seems. Turning to Heather's twin sister, Melanie, she tells Nick of visions she's had of her sister being held captive by an unseen man, and as these images are quickly becoming darker and more frightening.

Though skeptical of the sisters' psychic connection, Nick follows Heather's trail all the way to Pushmataha, Mississippi. And it appears that Heather may have been close to uncovering this town's darkest and bloodiest secret, but the town's residents will do anything to keep this secret from getting out.

Genres: Fiction

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Pete Earley is a storyteller who has penned 13 books including the New York Times bestseller The Hot House and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.
After a 14-year career in journalism, including six years at The Washington Post, Pete became a full-time author with a commitment to expose the stories that entertain and surprise.
His honest reporting and compelling writing helped him garner success as one of few authors with ”the power to introduce new ideas and give them currency,” according to Washingtonian magazine.
When Pete’s life was turned upside down by the events recounted in his book Crazy, he joined the National Alliance of Mental Illness to advocate for strong mental health reform on the public stage.

Reviews

[Marc de Brujo de Pronosticador Deportivo · Rating 3 out of 5]

fresh plot line with many twists opening me up for a new train of thought and uncharted perspective. good flow to his prose.

[Gregory Andis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this down.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good.The twists were unexpected plus you had a little bit of a supernatural feel with twin telepathy type stuff while also feeling like something that could happen in real life

[Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edgar-winning true crime writer Earley (The Hothouse, etc.) delivers a fast-paced but uneven fiction debut. U.S. Senate investigator Nick LeRue spends most of his time vetting nominees for federal judgeships—that is, until he's contacted by Melanie Cole, who wants him to track down her twin, Heather, a reporter who's vanished from the small Mississippi town where she'd gone to research a 1955 lynching. LeRue agrees, mainly because he still loves Heather, who broke his heart two years ago when she took up with investigative reporter Andrew Middleton.

LeRue and Melanie learn that Heather has been kidnapped, possibly by one of the white supremacists involved in the lynching. LeRue's investigative savvy paired with Melanie's ability to communicate in dreams with her twin lead to the discovery that Heather is captive in a remote cabin. But before they can get to her, her captor kills her and then, apparently, himself. But is that the end of the story? The action shifts back to Washington, D.C., where a Southern senator and Middleton—a sort of fictionalized Bob Woodward character—fall under suspicion for Heather's death. Here, Earley's narrative takes a series of credibility-straining turns, including key characters who turn out to be delusional and dream sequences that herald events to come. LeRue, however, remains a well-conceived protagonist, full of honor, cunning and a fine sense of self-deprecating humor.

[Pedro Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first it was slow with politicians backstabbing each other. Then when Nick was encountered by Melanie it all changed. The backstabbing was still present but it was in the background until the end where who done it was revealed. Do stick with it because you will be pleased with the end result. Though there were things that I didn't like at first, but Earley later explained with background story or spelled it out right. Please enjoy.
-Pedro

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Pete Early...Really enjoyed Super Casino and Circumstantial Evidence. I gave this a try as it's a fiction offering...Good story for crime/mystery fans.