Secrets in Small Towns

Small Town Series #3

by Iza Moreau

The ball starts rolling when Sue-Ann McKeown, editor of The Pine Oak Courier, finds a zonked-out teenager in her woods. When it turns out that he has escaped from a juvenile detention center long rumored to abuse its charges, Sue-Ann senses that she's on a new case. But the kid goes missing, and Sue-Ann has to find him--especially given that Sgt. Joe Bickley of the local sheriff's office is threatening to "out" Sue-Ann and her girlfriend unless she produces the boy. Then a Courier reporter who is investigating the juvenile center is nearly killed, and Sue-Ann realizes she has a lot more to worry about than putting out a newspaper.

This is the third and most exciting novel in the Small Town Series.

Genres: Queer, Mystery

310 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

About the author

Iza Moreau is a three-time Lesfic Bard Award Winner, a two-time Rainbow Award Winner, a a Golden Crown Finalist, a , and a 10-time Next Generation Indie Award finalist. She lives in the Deep South and counts Sarah Waters, Maggie Estep, and the Bronte sisters--Acton, Currer, and Ellis--among her literary influences.

THE NEWS IN SMALL TOWNS, the first novel in the Small Town series, was a Next Generation Indie Award finalist in both Mystery and Regional Fiction.

The second, MADNESS IN SMALL TOWNS, was also an Indie finalist in Mystery.

SECRETS IN SMALL TOWNS was a Golden Crown Finalist in Mystery/Thriller as well as an Indie finalist in Lesbian fiction.

MYSTERIES IN SMALL TOWNS was an Indie finalist in Lesbian fiction.

The XYZ MYSTERIES was a finalist for a Rainbow Award in Lesbian Mystery/Thriller and a Runner-Up for Best Lesbian Novel overall. It was also n Indie finalist in Mystery and LGBT fiction.

THE 5 was an Indie finalist in LGTBQ2 fiction.

SWAMP GIRL (2018) was an the Rainbow Award Winner and an Indie finalist in Young Adult fiction.

TANK BABY (2019) was the Lesfic Bard Award Winner in Lesbian Young Adult Fiction. It was also a finalist in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards in LGBT Fiction.

THE GHOST IN THE PIANO was the Rainbow Award Winner for 2019 in Lesbian Young Adult fiction.

PERSEPHONE"s MARE was the 2022 Lesfic Bard Award Winner in Lesbian Fantasy.

STORMY WEATHER was the 2023 Lesfic Bard Award Winner in Lesbian Mystery.

BILLY'S LEGACY was the 2024 Lesfic Bard Award Runner Up in Lesbian Mylstery.

All of these books are available in both e-book and paperback formats.

You can reach Iza at authorizamoreau@gmail.com

Reviews

[Kalen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book only gets 2 stars because the editing was terrible! I'll be the first to admit that I struggle a lot with misspelling words and being able to write proper sentences. So when I notice misspelled words and hanging quotations then I really know that the editor was not doing a good job.

The narration was frustrating at times because Sue Ann would narrate some situations in overly complex detail like the bowling games which I found didn't add to the story. Then Sue Ann would leave me completely hanging by not describing her plans to investigate suspects/sources for her newspaper. I also didn't like how Sue Ann liked to explain things twice. For example she compared her and another's stature among a group of friends as 2 small pegs beside 3 larger pegs. Then the next sentence she explains again, like 2 raisins with 3 plums. Why the need to say it twice? I got it she's short.

The story itself was okay but I found the climax short and that's why this book was bumped from a 1 star to a 2 star.

[Sara Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, we arrive at the third and final novel in Iza Moreau’s Small Town Series, Secrets in Small Towns, with a certain sense of familiarity. Our favorite dynamic duo, Sue-Ann and Gina, are here, trying to live a quiet, happy, and productive life in the rural Northwest Florida town of Pine Oak. But, like so many such American towns, Pine Oak has issues—an ugly secret from the past, too long-guarded and festering into the present, and a certain intolerance for anything out of the ordinary. Again, it’s Sue-Ann, as editor of the town newspaper, who needs to bring together the many hidden strands of unexplained violence in order to finally out the old wounds. And, on a personal level, she has some unfinished business with her mother’s death she can no longer ignore.

Along the way, however, are some outrageous new characters, rollicking scenes, creative solutions, and intrepid derring-do that prove entertaining and enlightening. But, in this last, full-length story (according to her Facebook page, Moreau has a collection of short stories that will complete the series), perhaps the most compelling situation centers around certain powerful forces in the town that are not content to leave Sue-Ann and Gina in peace. I guess there’s at least one such person in every little town, and in Pine Oak it’s Sergeant Joey Bickley, who is obsessed with outing the two women’s relationship and destroying their lives. Some of Moreau’s most relevant commentary on small town life in America today emerges from this aspect of the novel, and I found it riveting.

In an odd way, this final novel returns us to secrets that have been present all along, from the opening pages of the first novel, The News in Small Towns. It’s a good strategy, and through it we feel the weight of such secrets—how they embed themselves in a person, in a town, in a culture; and how it feels to live with damage and hostility that is beyond our understanding or control. Thanks to the innovative characters Moreau has created, we also see the grace and humor that may accompany the lives in small towns. I’m sorry to see the series drawing to a close, and eager for the final group of stories that will involve these smart, funny, lovely people who might be any of our neighbors.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book in the Small Towns series once again finds Sue-Ann delving into local history as part of her investigative work at The Pine Oak Courier. This time, the primary mystery revolves around the local reform school, but we also continue to learn more about Sue-Ann's personal background that exposes a secondary mystery that is every bit as engrossing. Whereas the highlight of Madness in Small Towns for me was watching the characters develop in a realistic and satisfying way, Secrets in Small Towns had me thoroughly caught up in solving the intertwined mysteries. That is not to say that the characters aren't a focus. In fact, a previously minor character, Joey Bickley, steps to the forefront in this novel and reveals himself to be far more complex than readers of the previous two installments may have anticipated. As before, details of daily life in the small town of Pine Oak provides texture, tension, and humor. Fans of Iza Moreau's previous books will love this conclusion to the series, but so will readers new to the series. This is an excellent mystery that gives some closure to ongoing storylines and makes for an exciting stand-alone read.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I've already said "I love this trilogy!" This may be my favorite of the 3. No place has more secrets than a small North Florida town! Even though Sue-Ann McKeown comes from Pine Oak, she doesn’t know all there is to know about the history of The Courier, the Hardy Juvenile Detention facility or why a Sheriff’s deputy won’t pursue a suspect of assault. In fact, he seemed more set on stalking Sue-Ann! Secrets of every level- community, institutional, military, personal,- all weave a mystery like only Iza can do. Sue-Ann’s journalistic team delivers all the answers through their superb detective and writing skills. All but one, that is, which Sue-Ann must reveal for herself!
I particularly like the way Iza titles each chapter. It makes it easier for me to find specific
scenes in the book that I wish to reference or re-read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to read Secrets in Small Towns and follow more adventures of Sue-Ann. The characters that were developed in the first two books of the series continued to entertain in Secrets. However, one emerged in a different light as this story ended. I've read all three of the Small Town Series and hope that Iza will eventually take us back to Pine Oak for more small-town Florida tales.