Heart of Rocks - Paperback

A chance encounter. A stolen secret. A journey that could change everything.

When grieving vagabond Declan Lewis pitches his tent for one more cold night at a nearly deserted Wisconsin campground, he's only hoping for sleep and solitude. Instead, he becomes an unwitting witness to a mystery that refuses to stay buried.

Julia Evans is a solo campground host, an aspiring novelist, and a woman quietly rebuilding her life after loss and betrayal. She likes solitude, routine, and the healing rhythms of the wilderness. What she doesn't expect to find-raked out of an abandoned fire pit-is a mysterious canister clearly marked TOP SECRET, linked to a U.S. Army cyber command facility thousands of miles away.

As questions mount and danger looms, Julia makes an impulsive decision: return the object herself, driving across the heart of America to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Declan, drawn along despite his instincts, joins the journey-while a homeless woman named Elizabeth, fragile, inscrutable, and hiding secrets of her own, complicates everything.

From forest campgrounds and lonely highways to small towns, truck stops, and desert roads, Heart of Rocks weaves a suspenseful road-trip thriller with an intimate character study of people pushed to the margins-and pulled back by courage, compassion, and the possibility of connection. As unseen forces close in, each traveler must confront grief, guilt, and the choices that define who they truly are.

Moody, thoughtful, and quietly gripping, Heart of Rocks is a novel about resilience, moral courage, and the unexpected ways strangers can change our lives-sometimes forever.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

• Suspense and modern thriller elements without nonstop violence
• Character-driven stories with emotional depth
• Road-trip novels set against vivid American landscapes
• Themes of grief, redemption, and second chances

A thriller with a human heart-and just enough danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.