When a mass shooting at a Seattle hospital kills four people, it leads to an illicit adoption conspiracy that changes the lives of a former homicide detective turned P.I. specializing in adoption searches and reunions, a police officer who has just learned at age 35 that she was adopted, and three heirs to a fortune whose origins are riddled with lies. As investigators chase the shooter, they uncover evidence that the adoption ring was financed by two powerful men—and a motive to silence one of the shooting victims before she can expose them.
 
The story explores themes of identity, family loyalty, and the cost of secrets set against the backdrop of a high-stakes criminal investigation with psychological depth and procedural suspense.
As the adoptive mother of three daughters, Valerie Wilcox draws upon her personal experience with the joys of adoption and the deep human need to know one’s origins to form the emotional core of the story. Although VOWS OF SECRECY is fictional, its roots lie in real historical abuses—and Wilcox’s belief that the truth, even when complicated, matters.