Line #13 VisualNovel/VeilOfSecrets


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/veils_of_secrets_book_1_cover.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:310:[[{{Tagline}} Everyone has a secret]].]]
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4	Veil of Secrets is one of the many stories of Pixelberry's ''VisualNovel/ChoicesStoriesYouPlay'' collection.
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6	The Player, an aspiring journalist, is invited to their best friend’s wedding in the town of Birchport. But when she vanishes on the big day, it’s up to you to find her.
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8	Just remember: in this town, everyone has a secret.
9	!! Tropes:
10	* AmateurSleuth: Jesse becomes one once it's clear that the police won't be of any help in investigating the case.
11	* AmoralAttorney: D.A. Mac Hornby from Chapter 11 delivers false testimony about Kate being a GoldDigger during her trial, tries to discredit Jesse as a reliable eyewitness, and manipulates the testimonies of other eyewitnesses to ensure Kate's incarceration. Flynn mentions that Hornby is a frequent guest at the Sterlings' parties, implying that he's under their influence (similar to Walsh).
12	* AnyoneCanDie:
13	** Agent Kim states that there are ''at least'' four murders. The reveal in Chapter 4 that one of them is [[spoiler:Tanner Sterling]] means that this is not limited to minor characters.
14	** Chapter 9 adds [[spoiler: Bryce]] to the list of deaths while Chapter 14 adds [[spoiler:Margaret, Walsh, and state investigator Tino Thompson]].
15	** The statement that there are "at least four" murders can be taken to mean that depending on player choices, some may live or die [[spoiler:as evidenced by the Premium choice to save Nikolai's life after he is shot by Duffy]].
16	** Chapter 15 is multiple choice. [[spoiler: Jesse has time to save either Duffy or Pierce, leaving the other to die in the flames. [[TakeAThirdOption Alternately]], Jesse can choose to let them ''both'' die. Even if they save Pierce, he dies in prison.]]
17	* AssholeVictim: Discussed in Chapter 10, after the death of [[spoiler: Bryce Sterling]]. Flynn says [[spoiler: Bryce]] deserved it, Grant points out that while he wasn't a good person, he has a lot of personal issues, and Jesse can either say that he was a jerk (but didn't deserve to ''die''), or they can agree with Flynn that [[spoiler: Bryce]] got what he deserved, FreudianExcuse [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse be damned]].
18	* BigBad: The Birchport Killer, [[spoiler: AKA Jeff Duffy]].
19	* BondOneLiner:
20	** [[spoiler:Duffy]] gives one after [[spoiler:killing Margaret Sterling]] in Chapter 14.
21	---> '''[[spoiler:Duffy]]:''' Sorry, [[spoiler:Margaret]], the [[spoiler:evil stepmother]] ''always'' dies.
22	** Jesse gives one depending on whether you [[spoiler:off Duffy or Pierce]] in Chapter 15.
23	---> '''Jesse:''' You [[spoiler:have the right to remain ''dead''. (if Duffy is killed)]]/[[TitleDrop End of the line]], [[spoiler:Pierce. (if Pierce is killed)]]
24	* ClickHello: Chapter 13 ends with Jesse and Flynn cornered by Margaret... armed with a shotgun.
25	* DarkerAndEdgier: The whole series is set in a town with a biased and corrupt justice system with ties to a very powerful family. They also do not shy away from showing blood on the various murder victims (including a very gruesome shot of Tanner with his throat slashed).
26	* DirtyCop: Tommy Walsh is involved in the dirty business of the Sterling family. [[spoiler:Jeff Duffy is later revealed to be the real murderer of the Sterling clan while faking being an incompetent cop]].
27	* DumpsterDive: More like trash can diving, but teaming up with Flynn or Grant in Chapter 2 has this happen with finding a broken phone, one that happens to be Bryce's.
28	* EarnYourHappyEnding: After going through hell, most of Jesse's potential endings have him or her choose which love interest ([[spoiler:including Kate]]) to stay with in Birchport, instead of returning to New York.
29	* EnormousEngagementRing: Kate shows off her engagement ring to Jesse and it's described as rather big. Jesse jokingly asked if it hurt Kate's hand.
30	* FairCop: Naomi Silverhawk is not only attractive, but she is also fair and follows the laws unlike her boss.
31	* FromNewYorkToNowhere: The story begins with Jesse arriving in Birchport, Massachusetts after leaving New York.
32	* HollywoodNewEngland: The story takes place in the town of Birchport, Massachusetts. However, the book itself zigzags the trope in two major ways:
33	** The O'Malleys and Tony Rez fulfill the "hard-working dockworker" part, while the Sterlings satisfy the "snooty aristocrat" part. However, the law enforcement characters and the Emersons (who are wealthy attorneys but not members of the aristocracy) avert both stereotypes.
34	** The geography and weather in the story completely avert the trope: Birchport alone has high mountains, long coastline and sudden weather.
35	* HowWeGotHere: The story starts with Jesse in FBI custody with Agent Kim wanting to know what led up to four murders over the course of a month, all starting from a wedding.
36	* MeetCute: In the premium scene in Chapter 1, Kate tells Jesse and the Emerson siblings that she and Tanner met when he was forced to take cover in her bakery during a rainy night. They spent all night bonding and eating cupcakes.
37	* NoodleIncident: In the premium scene in Chapter 1, Scarlett confesses to having one of these involving spilling red wine on Music/EltonJohn's white suit.
38	* NouveauRiche: The Sterlings look down on the Emersons, considering them to be this.
39	* OldFriend: Jesse and Kate have been friends since [[VisualNovel/TheFreshman Hartfeld]]. They first met 7 years ago as college roommates, but they drifted apart after graduation.
40	* OldMoney: The Sterlings are not only old money, but if you team up with Flynn in Chapter 2, he says that by the time colonists got to the New World in the 1600s, the Sterlings had built up a shipping empire as well as their fortune.
41	* TheOutsiderBefriendsTheBest: Jesse is a journalist who arrives in Birchport for the first time for Kate's wedding. Among their closest friends and potential love interests is Grant Emerson from one of Birchport's richest families.
42	* PassiveAggressiveKombat: The first time you meet Scarlet, Jesse has the option to go the peaceful route. Doing so shuts her down and both Tanner and Kate are surprised they managed to shut her up. They attribute it to them being from the Midwest.
43	* PoliceAreUseless: Local police chief Tommy Walsh is completely unwilling to put any effort into investigating Kate's disappearance - not even when he's presented with clear cut evidence that something is wrong. It's possible he's taking bribes from the Sterlings, which isn't implausible at all given the Sterling influence on the town. The only police officer who actually cares about investigating the case is Naomi Silverhawk ([[spoiler:and Walsh eventually fires her for it]]).
44	* PreMortemOneLiner: [[spoiler:Duffy]] gives one before killing [[spoiler:Chief Walsh]] in Chapter 14.
45	--> '''[[spoiler:Duffy]]:''' [[WithDueRespect With all due respect]], [[spoiler:Chief...I'd like to file my notice of resignation.]]
46	* ProfessionalsDoItOnDesks: A premium choice with Grant, a lawyer, allows the two of them to do it on his desk.
47	* RoomFullOfCrazy: The premium choice in Chapter 7 allows Jesse and Naomi to find one of these rooms in the cabin where the kidnapper has been stalking the Sterlings even down to their genealogy charts.
48	* StagParty: A premium choice in Chapter 1 allows Jesse, Grant and Scarlett to take Kate out to a bachelorette party.
49	* TheReveal [=/=]WhamEpisode:
50	** Chapter 4 ends with [[spoiler: Flynn (and Jesse if you paid the Premium choice) finding Tanner's dead body.]] Not helping things is how, if you paid for the choice, you will actually get to see [[spoiler:the corpse in full graphic detail.]]
51	** Chapter 7 ends with you and Naomi discovering [[spoiler:Kate, alive but drugged and disoriented, held captive in the basement of a secluded cabin.]]
52	** Chapter 9 has all the fireworks going off and [[spoiler: Bryce getting blown up!]]
53	** Chapter 14 is a big one! [[spoiler: Kate is pregnant with Tanner's child. Deputy Jeff Duffy is the killer and proceeds to kill the state investigator, Chief Walsh and Margaret Sterling! He's also the bastard love child of Pierce Sterling and his secretary Alanis Acosta.]]
54	* TownWithADarkSecret: There's more to Birchport than meets the eye, including more than a few skeletons in the closet.
55	* TrophyRoom: Chapter 3 has Jesse find their way by accident into the Sterlings' trophy room. Some of the trophies involved are lacrosse trophies for Tanner and Bryce, and an entire section is reserved for Margaret's tennis days.
56	* UptownGirl: Kate, a dockworker's daughter, is marrying someone from one of the richest families in town. It causes some people to consider her a GoldDigger.

Context VisualNovel / VeilOfSecrets