Element of Secrecy: Book I

by Heather Slawecki

Jenny O'Rourke has been haunted by blurred memories from her childhood for over twenty years. Brick walls and tight lips have kept her from understanding why she was torn from her home and family in the middle of the night. And why her brother's murder was brushed under the rug. To find the answers, she has to elude two powerful forces standing in her way ... an estranged but lurking father and the watchful eyes of the Witness Protection Program. She's about to break the only rule they have in Never go home.

​Jenny finds an opportunity, giving her access to everything she thought she ever wanted to know. What she discovers changes everything and leaves a small town in need of some major damage control.

324 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

Heather launched her debut trilogy, The Element Mysteries Series, in March of 2020. Since then, she has received numerous accolades and was featured in Kirkus Magazine for Element of Secrecy. She’s received five-star editorial reviews from Readers' Favorite and Indies Today. She also won the "2020 Best Suspense Award" for Element of Danger by Indies Today.

Heather released a fast-paced romance thriller, Gone Astray, on May 15, 2025, and was featured by Indies Today for her five-star review.

She loves creating beyond-ordinary circumstances where her main characters have to rely on their own strengths to survive. She'll take you through their wild journeys in first person as they face each obstacle, leaving you feeling part of the story. And, just as in real life, a little humor goes a long way when moments get really intense.

Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from Widener University. She began her writing career as a feature writer for the Bucks County Courier Times and has spent the last thirty years as an award-winning senior copywriter in the Philadelphia area.