Public Trust

Charleston foundation director Eleanor Harlan has spent years curating the perfect life beside her husband, real estate mogul Grant Harlan. But when small cracks appear in their empire’s polished surface, Eleanor begins to see how much of her world depends on keeping appearances and how dangerous it might be when she stops.

An ambitious waterfront corridor, a preservation foundation that lends moral cover, and a city hungry for growth depend on the story the Harlans tell about themselves. As rumors harden into investigative headlines, Eleanor’s late nights at her laptop and a ruthless ethics clause give her a view behind the facade that no one else has.

From glittering Charleston galas to the quieter clarity of Paris, Public Trust follows a woman who has built a life smoothing, correcting, making others look good as she decides what to protect when the truth and her constructed marriage can no longer coexist.