Dorothy Hall is Darrington, Maryland's darkest secret. That is until Emarie Lukins, a reporter for the Washington Intelligencer is assigned to write a story about a sixty-five-year-old woman who killed her twenty-five-year-old lover. When Emarie's boss, Jim, gives her a file that contains only a one-page document and a photo of the world's homeliest woman dressed in a T-shirt with the words "World's Best Mom" on the front, Emarie's gut screams for her to refuse the assignment. But before she can back out, she is trapped in the depraved world of Dorothy Hall. With help from a ghost, Emarie digs into Dorothy's warped reality, untangling a web of abuse, deceit, manipulation, and murder, revealing Dorothy's true identity. But when she uncovers damaging information that Jim is desperate to keep under wraps, Emarie's own world is turned upside down. Disagreements between Emarie and Jim result in the story's cancellation, personal revelations, Emarie's resignation, a hefty bribe, and the attempted murder of a former coworker. Nonetheless, Emarie is determined to write a book that proves Dorothy is not who she claims to be and exposes Darrington, Maryland's cover-up of Dorothy's despicable and deadly deeds. As things heat up, Jim pulls Emarie's former coworkers, her parents, and her best friend into a conspiracy to halt the book's publication, leaving Emarie to wonder whom she can trust. In the end, Emarie's book shatters lies and lives, putting her life at risk. Will Emarie outsmart Dorothy? Or will she become another of Darrington's dark secrets?

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