Midwest Secrets

Monica Starling has everything she ever wanted. She's a third-grade teacher in Steubenville, Ohio, where she grew up and knew she wanted to return. She lives in a beautiful condo less than a quarter mile from her parents. Her landlord has the residents for pizza and Pittsburgh Steelers' football games every week, and she has the perfect guy...an old friend and her father's assistant CPA. It's her dream come true.

Gary Mooser is nearly finished with his dual doctorate in Philosophy and Religious Studies. His girlfriend, Danielle Fifner, and he visit Dyersville, Iowa, home of a registered Basilica, the subject of Gary's dissertation. They also will visit the field of dreams, the baseball field from the Kevin Costner movie from 1989. They both love baseball and it's one of Danielle's favorite movies.

Everyone is the small town of Udall, Kansas, knows about the F5 tornado that destroyed the town in 1955. They also know about a little girl named Polly Oran who was never found, alive or dead, after the storm. Somehow, Polly is the premise of a tale that becomes more frightening each time it is told. Apparently, Precarious Polly is haunting Udall, taking lives and bringing more destruction to the families she visits.

The Midwest...thoughts of long country roads, fields of corn, red barns, white picket fences, and a simple life that is happy and peaceful. Maybe. Small town people are there for each other. Sharing stories in the grocery story, after church, at the barber shop, or over the fence in the backyard is a staple of the culture of the Midwest. Maybe. You see, there are some stories that no one shares...not with acquaintances, neighbors, friends, or even family.