Review: Tell Me Your Secret by Dorothy Koomson

I chose this book because I love Dorothy Koomson. The way she blends family drama and crime thriller ('emotional thrillers', the publisher calls them) is utterly brilliant!

Ten years ago Pieta (pronounced 'Peter') was kidnapped by someone calling himself The Blindfolder. If Pieta didn't keep her eyes closed for 48 hours, despite what he did to her, she'd be killed. Pieta survived, although she never told anyone what happened to her. But now The Blindfolder is killing off his past victims she may not have a choice.

Tell Me Your Secret is told from both Pieta's point of view and that of the police detective inspector (Jody) in charge of investigating the murders. There are also flashbacks to Pieta's experiences at the hands of The Blindfolder. Jody's chapters are told in a 'Dear Reader' kind of way, which I really liked. It gave a poignant edge to what could have been another 'flawed detective' character.

I loved the relationship between Pieta and her son, and I thought Pieta's monster boss was hugely entertaining. There's a couple of potential love interests too. Tell Me Your Secret has some great twists - they come thick and fast at the end, so pay attention! The book also makes a good point about how victims of crime are perceived - as 'victims' or 'fighters'.

Great cover, clever title, twisty emotional plot, terrific characters, edge-of-your-seat thrills, brilliant writing - have I missed anything out? Tell Me Your Secret is one of my favourite reads this year!

Thank you to Dorothy Koomson and Headline Review for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson

My main reason for picking this book was the beautiful cover (at the time I hadn't read Dorothy Koomson's previous book, The Friend). I also liked the idea of a woman so obsessed by a twenty-five year old murder she's determined to solve it herself.

Nell and her friend Jude found the body of a young woman on Brighton beach when they were teenagers and from that moment their lives were changed irrevocably. No spoilers, so I'll just say that every member of Nell's family felt the pond-ripple effect of her discovery.

Twenty-five years later and the mystery of who killed the woman who became known as 'The Brighton Mermaid' is no nearer to being solved. Although Nell now works as the deputy manager in a supermarket, she has developed a sideline in helping people find long-lost relatives using family trees and DNA testing. (She has an ulterior motive with the DNA!) The story starts as Nell takes a year's break from work to use these skills to finally discover the Brighton Mermaid's real identity - she's hoping this will lead to the woman's killer.

I absolutely loved this book! It has all the ingredients I adore - an old mystery, believable but flawed characters, a fabulous heroine, a dysfunctional family, a bit of a romance - and lots of twists! I liked that everything wasn't wrapped up neatly at the end and that I didn't guess the identity of the murderer. I thought the plot was clever and twisty, and it caught me out more than once. I also loved the thoroughly nasty villain. I can't say much more, because of spoilers, but this was one of my favourite reads this year. Recommended, especially for fans of family/domestic murder mysteries and authors such as Lisa Jewell and Harlan Coben.

Thank you to Dorothy Koomson, Cornerstone Digital, and NetGalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Related post:

The Friend by Dorothy Koomson

Review: The Friend by Dorothy Koomson

I was attracted to The Friend due to the pretty cover (reflection of a girl walking along a beach) and because the blurb intrigued me. I've read Dorothy Koomson before (The Chocolate Run) but hadn't realised she wrote mysteries too. Anyway, I loved The Friend and completely devoured it, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books very soon!

The story is about Cece who has recently moved to Brighton with her husband and three children. Unfortunately, her husband fails to mention that a woman has been found with head injuries in the playground of the children's school. And it later transpires that Cece's new friends are high on a list of people the police are very interested in talking to. Each friend has a secret that would destroy her, but could one of them really be a potential murderer?

I love reading mysteries and usually try to guess the identity of the murderer and their motivation before the big reveal. However, The Friend is so well-written, and the characters so realistic, I became so engrossed in their story it hardly mattered who did what to whom. I particularly liked Cece, for the way she didn't stand any nonsense from her husband or her ex. I also liked Anaya, who had to suffer the mother-in-law from hell!

The strength of this book is definitely in the characters, all of whom have huge secrets in their past that could be motivation for murder. The victim was sympathetic at first but as I got to know her (through her actions towards her friends) my loyalties definitely changed. I think the only character I failed to relate to was Hazel, due to her appalling taste in men!

There are a lot of characters - four main ones, plus their partners and children, and a few exes, and I did get a little confused, particularly between Maxie and Hazel at first. I think the story would probably appeal more to readers who enjoy their commercial fiction with a bit of a mystery, rather than fans of pure crime fiction.

But I loved The Friend and thought it was utterly brilliant, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. I think it would particularly appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell (I Found You) and Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies).

Thank you to Dorothy Koomson, Cornerstone Digital, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.