The Women’s Meeting, is a 383 page psychological thriller and mystery novel comparable in tone and emotional depth to Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley, my novel explores the lives of five women whose pasts, marked by abuse, violence, and betrayal, collide in a weekly church meeting that becomes far more than just a safe space.
When Dr. Angela Morrison, a respected psychologist specializing in marriage and family counseling, agrees to lead a women’s support group at her church, she expects to offer healing, not to need it. But as the women begin to share the haunting traumas that shaped them, Angela’s alter ego, Renee, begins to unravel dark secrets from her own past, secrets buried in the recesses of her mind. When a detective begins investigating the decades-old disappearance of her father, the line between the present and the terror of Angela’s childhood begins to blur.
Each woman brings her own storm: Anita, the pastor’s wife and model Christian, hides the bruises and rapes behind her husband’s pulpit and a secret love she sacrificed long ago. Ernestine, raised in addiction and abandonment, survives through sex work but yearns for the love she never had. Toni, kidnapped and locked in a basement for three years, seeks vengeance with nothing left but rage. Candace, traded between predators since the age of five, now faces the man who exploited her innocence, and may yet exploit her death.
As their stories intersect, The Women’s Meeting delves deep into identity, survival, sisterhood, and the pursuit of freedom, both physical and emotional. Literary Titan describes the novel as “an emotionally charged story that is ultimately uplifting and always entertaining.” It’s a raw and unflinching look at trauma, but one grounded in the hope that healing is possible.
