“In a nation where deviation is noticed. Survival belongs to those who don't stand out.”
Available November 1
Releasing November 1 at midnight. Unlocks in:
In the near future, Americans have gotten what they asked for: less government.
Sixteen executive departments have been consolidated into a new system with fewer people holding far more power. At its center are the country's Leader, two Speakers of the House, and five Masters of Procedure charged with keeping the machinery of government running.
Blair Adler, Speaker for the Strongholds, has learned how to survive inside that machinery. Stay useful. Stay composed. And never give anyone a reason to look too closely.
Because Blair isn't only keeping government secrets.
Blair is one.
As manipulated intelligence pushes America toward conflict and the people closest to power begin questioning one another, Blair is forced to navigate a government where appearances can be as powerful as the truth — and where deciding who deserves a halo and who deserves horns depends entirely on where you're standing.
Halos vs. Horns is a near-future political thriller about power, identity, perception, and what happens when fewer people are trusted with more control.
“Everyone knows Blair Adler. At least, they think they do.”
Blair Adler is the Speaker of the House for the Strongholds—a disciplined political operator who has learned that survival near the center of power depends on appearing exactly as people expect. Organized, articulate, observant, and almost obsessively careful, Blair treats everything from language to appearance as something that can be controlled. Behind that precision, however, is someone constantly calculating risk and watching for the smallest sign that another person has looked too closely.
“The strategist who notices what everyone else misses.”
Riven Lock is the Speaker for the Keys: tall, composed, impeccably dressed, and intimidating without needing to raise her voice. She favors sharp tailored suits and keeps her hair tightly styled back. Her words are calculated, her intentions guarded, and she has built a reputation as both a brilliant strategist and a formidable public speaker capable of turning political attacks back on the people making them.
Roland Theodore Halloway is physically built for politics: tall, broad-shouldered, meticulously groomed, perfectly pressed dark suits and a bright tie that announces authority before he says a word. In public, he projects confidence and decisiveness, wrapping himself in rhetoric about traditional values and national strength.
Douglas Kane can appear careless, loud and politically undisciplined. He jokes when he shouldn't, speaks before thinking, and has a habit of revealing things that were clearly meant to remain unsaid. In one scene, Halloway repeatedly tries to stop him as Kane casually spills increasingly sensitive information.
Freedom is a matter of lighting.
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Advance praise from early readers. Reviews forthcoming upon publication, November 1.
“I finished it and didn't trust my own shadow for a week.”
“I couldn't put the book down — it was a page turner.”
Reading never came easily to K.S. Roelike. In fact, growing up, Roelike hated it. Storytelling arrived through a different door — watching old westerns with Dad and becoming fascinated by the people stories decided were heroes, villains, and everything in between.
Years later, after experiencing plenty of halos and horns in real life, Roelike began wondering how often those labels depend on perspective. That question eventually became Halos vs. Horns.
When not writing, Roelike has been enjoying married life and can be found camping or hiking, adding another agate or unusual stone to an ever-growing collection, spending time with two very loved cats, or rewatching a favorite comfort sitcom. Roelike has also, according to friends and family, perfected the Irish goodbye.
Halos vs. Horns is K.S. Roelike's debut novel.
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