For His Literati Book Club
Patricia Raybon, 5th Episcopal District
DENVER, CO – When the news came, A.M.E. author Patricia Raybon struggled to believe it. Her favorite NBA All-Star player, Stephen Curry, picked her new historical mystery novel, All That Is Secret, as March 2022 pick for his Literati Book Club, Underrated.
Raybon, a longtime member of Shorter Community A.M.E. Church in Denver, was “over the moon” by Curry’s selection. One of Literati’s original Luminaries, Curry identifies stories that feature diverse protagonists around social justice issues, encouraging readers to push their boundaries.
All That Is Secret is the first novel in a new historical mystery series by Raybon, an award-winning Colorado author, journalist and essayist. The novel centers around a young Black theologian, Annalee Spain—a fan of Sherlock Holmes—trying to solve her father’s cold case murder in 1920s Denver, a hotbed of the KKK. The young theologian’s sidekicks include a young A.M.E. pastor, whose backstory includes World War I service in the famed 369th Infantry Regiment known as the Harlem Hell Fighters.
Said Curry of All That Is Secret: “I’ve chosen to share this book for many reasons. Mysteries featuring and written by strong, Black women are uncommon. This changes the game for good. As theology professor Annalee Spain tries to figure out who murdered her father, she’s honest about questioning her connection with God…but Annalee’s faith shines through, and we get to share not only an exciting mystery, but a vulnerable spiritual journey as well. It’s something special.”
The book was selected by Parade Magazine as a fall 2021 “Mysteries We Love” as well as PBS Masterpiece’s “Best Mystery Books of 2021: As Recommended by Bestselling Authors.” The CrimeReads website also included it as a “Best Debut Novels” pick for October 2021.
Upon receiving this honor, author Patricia Raybon shared: “I’m thrilled by NBA all-star Stephen Curry’s selection of my novel. I admire his commitment to faith and family, community and social justice, and of course, his athletic prowess and achievements. Then there’s his love of books. He cares that both children and adults fall in love with reading to learn, grow, find themselves, and connect with others. To know he’s sharing my story about a young Black theologian–turned–amateur detective with fellow booklovers is a highlight beyond measure.”
Raybon’s novel was released in October 2021 by Tyndale House Publishers. Senior Acquisitions Editor Stephanie Broene offered: “We’re so honored that Stephen Curry has chosen to feature Patricia Raybon’s All That Is Secret as a book club pick. We believe Patricia has enormous talent and potential, and we can’t wait for readers to be swept up into this compelling mystery!”
Raybon, a former Sunday Contemporary Magazine editor at The Denver Post who served on the journalism faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is now a regular contributor at Our Daily Bread Ministries. She won a Christopher Award for her racial forgiveness memoir, My First White Friend, and her prayer memoir, I Told the Mountain to Move, was a Book of the Year Finalist in Christianity Today Magazine’s 2006 book awards.
For more information on Stephen Curry’s book club, visit https://literati.com/book-clubs/stephen-curry/. For media information on All That is Secret, visit https://mediacenter.tyndale.com/p/all-that-is-secret/9781496458377.
For more information about Patricia Raybon, visit her website at patriciaraybon.com
