Denial Creek

"This is one of those rare books that teaches you as much as it moves you." -- NetGalley ReviewerWelcome to Denial Creek, where the mosquitos are bad but the mothers are worse.In the sweltering marshland of southeast Texas, the past refuses to be ignored when Zerlene Edge, a psych major nursing a hangover from a dysfunctional childhood, finds a cryptic photo hidden in her estranged mother's lockbox. She becomes obsessed with unraveling its mystery, unaware she's about to expose a family legacy more toxic than refinery fumes.Meanwhile, Royal Wesley Shivers is coming undone. Raised under the iron grip of a domineering mother and haunted by fractured formative years, he's on a mission to reclaim what was stolen from him-no matter the cost.As floodwaters rise, Zerlene's search collides with Royal's compulsion. With a spineless, lovesick neighbor carrying a dark secret, a botched kidnapping, and out-of-control psychiatry, the residents of Hessey must finally face the truth, or do what they do best: deny everything.Darkly funny, razor-sharp, and uncomfortably human, Denial Creek is psychological fiction that peels back the rot beneath the foundation of coping mechanisms-where avoidance passes for resilience, deception hardens into reality, and facts are treated like a liability.