Donna Emerich

How far would you go to protect your family-and the people no one else will defend? When crusading attorney and National Guard officer Deana Jay is thrust into the ruthless world of politics, she quickly learns that power is never freely given-it is taken, negotiated, or fought for. Backed by a fiercely loyal, unconventional family and haunted by a past marked by betrayal, bloodshed, and buried truths, Deana steps onto a battlefield where enemies wear tailored suits instead of uniforms. As old-boy networks close ranks and long-hidden crimes resurface, a fragile alliance of militia families, Indigenous communities, and working-class citizens begins to form. What starts as a fight for fair wages, dignity, and representation becomes something far more dangerous: a calculated campaign against corruption that once ordered innocent people to be "sent straight to hell." Behind potlucks and town halls, beneath campaign speeches and smiling photographs, plans are being made. Lines are being drawn. And while Deana fights in the open, others prepare in the shadows-ready to wage a war that will never be acknowledged, never be declared, and never be forgiven.

This is the essential "historical recollection" that sets the stage for the full series of terrifying events in the book (and potentially any expanded "mountain series" if it's part of a connected narrative or planned sequels). "The sleepy town is in for a terrorizing awakening as the townspeople are pitched into a horrifying chain of events." "This chain of events will strike terror into the very soul of the town with its ghastly life-altering changes."

As the family grapples with fitting into a small Montana town, they dive into local politics, challenging the status quo. The townsfolk wrestle with their place in the community, which isn't as it first appears. A stark warning emerges: "No mixing" between the upper-class political elite and the working class.