First published 2015
Patience and Verity Mackellar take what seems like routine work: dig into the history of a deceased antiwar activist. The sisters expect to uncover the usual trail of records, relationships, and personal details that make up any life. Instead, they hit walls. The man appears to have materialized from nothing, leaving no meaningful background to trace. The Mackellars refuse to accept that anyone can exist without a past. They push deeper into their investigation, following thin leads and asking uncomfortable questions around Port Silva. Their persistence pays off in ways they never anticipated. Buried secrets surface. Old cover-ups crack open. Crimes that someone worked hard to hide begin emerging from decades of silence. What started as a simple background check becomes something far more dangerous. The sisters must decide how far they will go to uncover the truth about a man who tried to erase himself from history. Their search forces them to confront the reality that some people will kill to keep the past buried.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Port Silva
100 pages · Paperback · Perseverance Press