THE SECESSIONIST'S WIFE
COMING SOON
For journalist Anna Jones of the New York Daily Journal, nothing is more important than finding the truth. So when Fort Riley, Kansas, suffers a terrorist attack, Anna jumps at the chance to see what’s happening at the base. She and her partner Viktor Simonson rush to the heartland to cover the events as they unfold. Once on the ground, they agree to divide and conquer—one will check out the damage at the military installation, the other will attend a press conference with Kansas Governor Marie Danielle Schreiber in the nearby college town of Manhattan. In no time, Anna realizes the attack may not be as cut-and-dried as it appears. She also loses track of Viktor.
Meanwhile, on a farm outside Junction City, housewife Theresa Walkermore is grappling with mysteries of her own. Between her husband Noah’s unexplained absences and middle-of-the-night activities, she’s sure he’s being unfaithful to her again. But as she’s drawn into his world, she fears he’s embroiled in something far worse than adultery.
Sharing the same values and moral strength, Anna and Theresa realize that, together, they may be the only ones capable of stopping a plot that threatens not just Kansas, but the United States itself.
Praise for THE SECESSIONIST'S WIFE:
“Wolf Bahren's latest thriller, The Secessionist's Wife, sucked me in from the very first paragraph and had me holding my breath till the closing sentence. Bahren has once again created a sophisticated and gripping tale that takes on many of the most serious issues of the day: political extremism and violence, foreign tinkering in domestic affairs, terrorism, and mis- and dis-information. The intricate story she weaves might have been too unbelievable to take seriously just a few years ago (like a lot of things!), but now it hits way too close to home. And Bahren deftly serves up this tension with sweet, vulnerable, and deeply relatable characters. Take it from this lover of John le Carré and Frederick Forsyth: If you want a thriller that’s as intellectually sharp as it is relentlessly gripping, clear your weekend—you’re going to need it!”
—Melissa Meeker Eustace, co-founder of ProSovereign Global
“The Secessionist’s Wife is extraordinarily formidable and dangerously plausible. Wolf Bahren constructs a stark political landscape populated by people who feel strikingly familiar. It’s the kind of story that lingers as a warning for all of its readers.”
—Hannah Jacobson, personal trainer and US Marine Corps veteran
“Fans of political thrillers will find much to love in The Secessionist’s Wife, with its propulsive plot that keeps you on edge and compulsively reading forward, and artful characters that, in today’s climate, are all too believable. Bahren’s journalism and international background is on full display here, as she clearly has a strong grasp of how something nefarious landing in a reporter‘s lap could actually go down. What sets this book apart is its focus on a character not often given voice in modern thrillers — the young, rural, Bible-abiding mother — whom Bahren provides a rich story arc while remaining true to her origins, without ever slipping into condescension. Bahren also takes the unusual step of giving center stage to the vast open prairie and big skies of Kansas, a location most authors are happy to give only the proverbial fly over. In her hands, Kansas comes alive, and is as crucial a character as the wife herself. While no doubt the intense setup of The Secessionist’s Wife is all the more terrifying for feeling just this side of realistic, the story ultimately is one of hope.”
—Christina Duff, librarian and journalist