Synopsis from Good Reads:
EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW IS A LIE…
Can you keep a secret? Your life depends on it…
Bridget Reid has a secret, one that could get her killed… If she can escape the man who is keeping her locked in a basement bedroom.
DS Imogen Grey is good at keeping secrets – truths she’d never reveal to her colleagues at Exeter Police. She worked hard to get where she is – she nearly died for it. Now her past is catching up with her…
As DS Grey and her partner DS Adrian Miles search for Bridget, they uncover a terrifying web of abuse, betrayal and murder. And they realise that some secrets are better left buried…
Another fantastic book I discovered through Annie @ The Misstery. The Secret is a well-plotted, smartly written, super dark novel and I enjoyed every minute of it.
This is the second book in a series, but I felt it stood really well on it’s own since I didn’t read the first book and I didn’t feel lost at all like I was afraid of. Detectives Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles are newly re-united partners investigating a double murder and a missing person. As the case progresses it begins to tie back to one of Imogen’s past cases from two years prior, one that forced her to transfer to another department. I really loved the multiple timeline storytelling. It is told by multiple POVs in the Present, 2 Years Ago, and a POV from an anonymous boy as he grows up. I loved trying to figure out who all the characters were in the anonymous POV and how everything from the past fit into the present. I love that I didn’t figure everything out half-way in like I do with so many other books in this genre.
Imogen was kind of a hard character to like most of the time, but I did enjoy her overall. I really loved her partner, Adrian! Though he was definitely not a perfect person, he was sweet and protective and smart. I loved how his relationship with Imogen was really platonic, too. I also very much loved Dean, who is a bit of an anti-hero here. At first I was a little annoyed about Imogen’s attraction to him, but I very quickly got on board with it. Love him!
Overall, I really liked The Secret. There was so much going on in it, but I felt like it was well paced and fit together really well. It does have pretty dark subject matter – I actually gasped out loud at one part and that never happens anymore – but it was balanced well enough that it’s not one of those books that just depresses you when you’re done with it. The only thing I didn’t really like was that I felt the ending was a little too open-ended. While the case was solved, there were still some loose ends that weren’t tied up. I’m sure they will be in the next book, though, which I am very excited to read.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars
Great review ! When I saw publicity popping up for The Angel, the latest release, I knew I better start reading my copy of The Secret ;-).. I just started reading but you’re right there is sooo much going on. I do feel it’s a bit all over the place so I don’t know yet how I feel exactly.
Yay I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I did. Have you read the first book yet? I’m reading it now.
No I haven’t read The Teacher but it’s ok, I don’t feel like I’m missing too much 🙂
❤ So glad you liked it! I love it that there¡s always so much going on and trying to figure out things. About the open ending thing, yes, in book 3 that storyline continues and I loved it. I need to read The Teacher soon!
I’m glad to hear the loose ends from this one are addressed. I’m almost done with The Teacher (and you really do need to read it soon because I need to know how dark you think it is!) and I just got approved for The Angel on NetGalley so that will be up next! I’m excited for more Dean.
❤ YESSS I need to read it, will re-schedule my calendar hahah
A great review, Stephanie.
Thank you!!
Great review! This sounds like a series I would enjoy.
Thank you! I think you will probably like this series, too!
Great review! This one sounds good. I like that you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy it.
Thanks! I really liked it!
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