Defiance Texas Trilogy Series

The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control-Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter's demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis. In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He's convinced it's his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed's pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he's been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom. Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God's surprising redemption.

A Slow Burn

by Mary E DeMuth

Published 20 September 2009

Life in Defiance

by Mary E DeMuth

Published 25 May 2010

From "stunningly talented storyteller and wordsmith" Mary DeMuth comes the powerful conclusion to the Defiance, Texas trilogy (Susan Meissner).

In a town she personifies, Ouisie Pepper wrestles with her own defiance. Desperate to become the wife and mother her husband, Hap, demands, she clings to a simple book about womanhood--striving, failing, and trying again. But beneath her pursuit of self-improvement lies a terrible secret: she knows who killed Daisy Chance.

As her children inch closer to the truth and Hap's rages grow more violent, Ouisie faces an impossible choice. Will she finally break her silence to protect her family? Or will fear keep her bound, even as the cost of secrecy threatens to destroy them all?

With its gripping tension and deeply moving themes, Life in Defiance is a haunting yet hopeful story about the power of truth, the price of silence, and the courage it takes to break free.

"Life in Defiance will stir up emotions of anger, and forgiveness. It will disturb you. It will enthrall you. It will draw you out and pull you in. And it will fill you with hope. Beautifully written, it's another proof that Mary DeMuth is one of our finest novelists." --James L. Rubart, author of Rooms

Enter the world of Defiance, Texas, where secrets fester, redemption waits, and every choice carries the weight of eternity. Other books include Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn.