Life of Secrets: The Russians told her never to talk. So, she found another way to share her story...

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By George Mac Allister

There's something wonderfully clever about a thriller built around a biographer. Darby Littleton's whole job is uncovering the truth about people's lives, piecing together the gaps, making sense of what was left unsaid. So when the woman she's been hired to write about can no longer speak for herself, and the people who know the truth would very much prefer it stayed buried, you have a setup that feels both completely original and genuinely tense.

Deborah C. Sawyer hooks you early and keeps tightening the line. The detail of Angela's dementia possibly being the result of foul play is the kind of revelation that reframes everything that came before it, and once that idea is in your head you start reading differently. Every gap in the record feels more sinister. Every helpful source feels slightly less trustworthy. That creeping paranoia is handled really well.

What makes this book work beyond the plot mechanics is how personal the stakes become for Darby. She starts out as the professional, the objective observer, the one asking questions from a safe distance. And then the distance closes. The Russians don't want Angela's story told, and Darby has gotten close enough to the truth that she's no longer just a biographer. She's become part of the story she was hired to tell.

Sawyer writes with real control here. The pacing is steady without being slow, and the mystery at the center of Angela's life unfolds in layers that keep you genuinely guessing.

If you love literary settings, cold war shadows, and a protagonist who's sharper than the people trying to stop her, this one is absolutely worth your time.

About the Author

Deborah C. Sawyer

Deborah C. Sawyer is an author, business writer, and former president of Information Plus, an international consulting firm serving clients across the United States and Canada. A lifelong writer who began creating stories at the age of five, she has authored numerous articles, books, essays, poems, and short stories throughout her career. Drawing on decades of business experience, she has shared practical insights through publications and professional writing, while continuing to pursue her passion for fiction. Her novel To Be Somebody marks a return to her storytelling roots, with several additional novels currently in development.