The Scorned Mistress

Veiled Threat pitch

Veiled Threat– Feature

Writer: Linda Daly

SUBJECT MATTER: Survival

TOPIC: Humanity’s willingness to live within illusion.

GENRE: Mystery/Suspense/Espionage

PITCH: For thriller author Emma Mitchell, conspiracies were something she wrote about for a living. She never expected one to be real. After a menacing stranger on a plane reveals he knows the secret plot of her next book, Emma is plunged into a world where her fiction has become a deadly fact.

A powerful shadow organization wants her silenced, and they've already infiltrated her life in the most terrifying way imaginable: through her son's new girlfriend. With everyone she trusts either dead, compromised, or calling her insane, Emma is completely on her own. Her only potential ally is a dangerously charming man who seems to know all the rules to this lethal game.

But in a world of lies, is he a protector or just a more sophisticated killer? To save her family, Emma must become the kind of operative she's only ever written about.

TAGLINE: – Inquisitive author with a passion for exposing secrets rediscovers adventure and chivalry with a Russian computer hacker as she takes back her power while under government surveillance.

SHORT SYNOPSIS: Emma Mitchell, a renowned novelist, finds her tranquil life shattered on a flight home from a book tour when she observes a man in an Ohio State jogging suit covertly signaling another man in a business suit. This unsettling encounter reveals that the conspiracies she writes about are terrifyingly real. The operative interrogates her about her writing and warns her to abandon her next novel, making it clear she is already a target.

Back home, Emma's husband, Robert, dismisses her fears as exhaustion and paranoia, leaving her feeling increasingly isolated. Her anxiety escalates when she receives a message from Dmitry Spektor, a mysterious hacker, who alerts her that her digital security is compromised and offers to assist her in this perilous new reality. In her quest for answers, Emma visits her local church but discovers that the kind elderly secretary she had wanted to warn is dead. A conspiratorial operative implicates her before vanishing, and when Emma approaches the police, they brush off the death as "natural causes." This incident deepens her awareness of the conspiracy invading her life.

The true nature of the conspiracy comes to light through a manuscript left by her late friend, Alec Blake, which reveals the existence of the "Unholy Alliance," a global cabal planning a "Great Reset" fueled by Nazi gold. This chilling information confirms her worst fears; her suspicions are not mere paranoia.

To escape the Alliance, Emma destroys her phone, symbolically severing ties with her compromised digital life, and decides to visit her son, opting for an anonymous rental car. Yet, she cannot evade the Alliance's leader, who confronts her and her family on a secluded beach, forcing her to choose between their safety and the conspiracy. In desperation, she betrays Thomas Vale, a retired CIA cryptographer who was a friend of Alec. Fortunately, Vale and his network of spies ambush the Alliance, rescuing Emma and her family. In the aftermath, she teams up with Vale to confront the conspiratorial Congressman, Robert Brandt. Using her instincts and developed publishing skills, Emma blackmails him with evidence regarding Alec's ledger of Nazi gold and Brandt's scandals. Under pressure, Brandt reveals vital access codes for the Alliance's upcoming meeting.

Emma's counter-offensive culminates in success as she and Vale leverage Brandt’s intel to expose the Unholy Alliance in a synchronized raid, dismantling its leadership and scattering its forces. The shocking truth of the conspiracy, rooted in Nazi gold, comes to light for the world to see. Afterward, Emma returns home to Robert, who finally acknowledges her struggles and apologizes for his earlier doubts. However, she has changed; she's no longer the same woman. Six months later, she begins her next novel, titled "Veiled Threat," drawing inspiration from her harrowing experiences. Emma has evolved from a mere novelist into a chronicler of hard truths, embodying a testament to resilience in the face of overwhelming darkness.

Target Audience: Mainstream

Project Status: Outline and treatment available upon request.