SEARCHING FOR
A harrowing debut novel
Fiction has long been used to
help us better understand our world.
In her powerful debut novel, Searching for Pilar, Patricia Hunt Holmes offers readers a thrilling tale that explores what happens when innocent people get caught in the nefarious web of sex trafficking.
Patricia, a successful attorney, experienced a painful epiphany after reading a news story years ago: her hometown of Houston, TX is one of the largest hubs for sex trafficking in the world. This shocking revelation compelled her to learn more about the real-life issue affecting her community and then channel that into a narrative that would not only entertain, but also create awareness and spark action.
Subscribe to Patricia’s Newsletter
Sign up for the newsletter to follow the latest from Patricia, and you can download a preview of Searching for Pilar for free.
About the Book
Pilar, an innocent young wife and mother, is abducted during a fake job interview in Mexico City and forced into sex slavery in Houston. Can she survive the horrors of a world—one which many good Americans don’t see or ignore—long enough for her brother Diego to find her?
Searching for Pilar breaks open the secretive and dangerous world of sex trafficking, while exploring human nature and our connections to each another. Diego’s guilt transforms him from a rudderless youth into a man of purpose, and courage. While he searches, Pilar finds a strength that could save herself and a young girl who needs her. The themes of family, love, faith and the law intertwine in this action-packed tale of the Bayou City.
Order the Book Today
About the Cause
It is no secret that human trafficking is a global issue, affecting an estimated 21 million people around the world. Less widely known perhaps is its pervasiveness in communities across the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Justice and Global Slavery Index, approximately 75,000 people in the U.S. are either victims of trafficking or trafficked into the country every year.
Patricia Hunt Holmes is committed to fostering in her fellow Houstonians – and people around the country – a more compassionate view of victims of sex trafficking. With her background in law, she understands that this complicated issue is often misunderstood, but that change can only come from awareness, a willingness to see things from a new perspective, and the commitment to joining in the fight against sex trafficking.
If you’re interested in getting involved in your community to help with anti-human trafficking efforts, visit Polaris Project to learn more. To get involved with anti-human trafficking efforts in Houston, learn more here.
About the Author
Patricia Hunt Holmes spent 30 years as a public finance attorney with the international law firm of Vinson & Elkins LLP. She was consistently listed in Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, Top Lawyers in Houston, and awarded the highest degree by her peers in Martindale Hubbell. She was a frequent speaker at national public finance and healthcare conferences. Patricia has also served on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Tennessee, and University of Texas Health Science Center Houston. She has written and published in the fields of intellectual history and law.
Patricia has been a member and board member of social service organizations in Houston that focus on helping women, including the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast Women’s Initiative, Dress for Success Houston, and the American Heart Association’s Circle of Red. She was a founding member and first board chair of Houston Justice for Our Neighbors, which provides free and low cost legal services to immigrants. For the past five years, she has been taking writing workshops with Inprint, associated with the outstanding University of Houston Creative Writing Program. She began to write Searching for Pilar in a workshop after learning that Houston is one of the biggest hubs for sex trafficking in the country.