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.