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.
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About Searching for Pilar
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.
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About Crude Ambition
A Texas Reckoning
In the early morning hours after a law firm recruiting party at a beachside house on Galveston Island, a female summer intern is found lying on the floor, bruised, bleeding, and unconscious. Something terrible has happened. She is taken to a hospital by the only other woman there, but the next day the intern is gone without a trace. Those involved decide to keep silent about the incident in order to further their own career ambitions, but the two women are haunted by what happened. Time passes. Ten years later, crime and hubris bring the former intern back into the lives of those that hurt her. Only this time, she has the power, and the truth is finally brought to light. From the power centers of Houston law and oil to the fracking fields of South Texas to the Jersey Shore and Washington D.C., this story chronicles the struggles of two ambitious young women in their quest for legal success and justice.
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Praise
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 a large international law firm, specializing in nonprofit healthcare finance and rural electric cooperative finance. Consistently listed in Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, and Top Lawyers in Houston, she was a frequent speaker at national public finance and health care conferences. Patricia has also served on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Tennessee, and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She has written and published in the fields of intellectual history and law.
In addition to her legal career, Patricia has been a member and board member of several social service organizations throughout Houston, including the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast Women’s Initiative, Dress for Success Houston, the University of Houston Women’s Studies Program, University of Houston Law Review Board of Directors, Houston Justice for Our Neighbors, and is a current Trustee of the Houston Grand Opera. She was recently named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Houston for 2021-22 by Houston Woman Magazine.
Patricia grew up in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey but has lived in Houston for over 40 years. She has two daughters, Hillary and Ashley, who have successful careers as an attorney and a geologist, and three adorable grandsons. She is an avid golfer and traveler.
Patricia holds a BA in English and History, an MA in History, and a PhD in Russian and South Asian History with honors, all from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and was an editor on the Houston Law Review.