The Deepest Secret

EVE
Birthdays are supposed to be happy occasions, so Eve plans a party. There are the usual anxieties. Who would come? Would Tyler like his presents? Then there are the special worries, the ones other people didn t have to think about. She won t focus on those.

She makes a cake, a bigger-than-life-size iPad that takes a day and a half to decorate instead of the six hours the Internet site promised. The problem is getting the paint the right consistency so the lake doesn t bleed into the shoreline. And all those tiny icons. She s tossed dozens in the trash, false starts where the Facebook f was too wobbly and the camera came out looking as though a giant thumb had pressed down hard. She hesitates over balloons. Do they even matter at night? In the end, she decides, why not, and drives home from the party store with so many fat balloons crammed into her backseat that she can t see out her rearview mirror. She imagines being pulled over by the police for driving under the influence of helium.

Melissa s in the kitchen when Eve arrives home, and helps carry in the bags. She reaches for the balloons and frowns at the rainbow of colors. Pink, Mom, really?

Melissa s long black hair is pulled back in an untidy topknot Eve knows her daughter has worked for hours to achieve. One of her tank top straps is twisted, revealing the pale strip of skin beneath where the sun hasn t lingered. Eve wants to tug it straight and warn her daughter to be careful, but Melissa has heard it all before. Pink looks good in moonlight, Eve says.

A knock on the kitchen door. It s Charlotte and Amy, arriving early to help. Dear Charlotte.

What would Eve do without her kindness, her humor? Charlotte has pulled her through the dark days. She has kept Eve sane.

One spicy chili dip, extra sour cream by request, Charlotte says, setting down the dish on the counter. She s wearing a determined smile on her face. Amy looks mutinous. Eve guesses they ve been having another

Carla Buckley is the author of The Deepest Secret, Invisible, and The Things That Keep Us Here, which was nominated for a Thriller Award as a best first novel and the Ohioana Book Award for fiction. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Wharton School of Business, and lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband and three children. She is currently at work on her next novel, The Good Goodbye.

A taut family drama . . . smart and thrilling. People

Elegant, poignant, and utterly riveting . . . a suspenseful tale of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice that will leave you asking how far a mother really should go to protect her family and wondering about the cost of the secrets we all keep, even from ourselves. Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia

Exceptionally moving and unrelentingly suspenseful . . . everything a great novel, and thriller, should be. Providence Journal

Superb . . . The story offers the intricate suspense and surprise of a thriller, along with rich characterizations and nuanced writing. . . . A gripping read and a memorable reflection on the conflicting imperatives of love. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Carla Buckley masterfully portrays an ordinary family trapped in a heart-wrenching crisis. William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob

Fans of Jodi Picoult will enjoy this compelling blend of ripped-from-the-headlines suspense and close-to-your-heart characters. Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fear Nothing

[A] masterful thriller . . . as winding and treacherous as a slick road. Shelf Awareness

A harrowing story. New York Daily News

A mesmerizing page-turner for the era of Big Brother and constant surveillance: Who is guilty and who is innocent? Loved ones are not exempt from suspicion, as the devastating power of a mother s love has unimaginable consequences. I was riveted until the very end. Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator s Wife

An electrifying and sensitive portrait of an ordinary family struggling with tragic circumstances, The Deepest Secret is a rich human drama that pulls on larger themes of life and what it means to be a family, one torn apart by tangled desires, grief, lost dreams, and a crime