Psychopaths can take root in the unlikeliest soil…
DC Maggie Jamieson crosses paths once again with Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood when a domestic violence survivor stumbles into her new refuge, unable to speak, desperate for help.
Then another case hits Maggie’s desk. A young man has been murdered, and a curious constellation of black dots has been inked onto his cheek.
That’s when DCI Hastings goes missing and Maggie uncovers a shocking connection that turns the case on its head.
Every family may hide secrets, but not every family buries them…
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Hi and welcome to my review of Dead Secret!
We’re back at DC Maggie Jamieson’s side! Dead Secret is her fourth outing already, time flies when you’re out solving crime! Poor Maggie hasn’t even had time to recover from her last case (the Living Doll Killer) or she’s hit with a new one: a young man has been clubbed to death and on his face four dots haven been drawn in a composition that seems oddly familiar to Maggie. Before she’s fully had time to wrap her head around that one, she’s told that a DCI and his family have gone missing, a possible abduction. No rest for the wicked, Maggie once again has her work cut out for her. Meanwhile, probation officer Lucy Sherwood has an abuse victim on her hands who refuses to talk to the police, looking terrified and more than a little traumatised.
It’s always such a pleasure to catch up with Maggie and Lucy! I’ve been with this series from the start and I do feel that’s the best way to go about it. You might be able to read this as a standalone, especially with regards to the actual cases at hand, but I don’t think you’d enjoy it as much since you’d miss all the nuances and finesses of the characters and their relationships.
Throughout this series I’ve really come to care for Maggie and Lucy. Lucy has been through a lot, suffered from domestic abuse herself, so she’s in an ideal position to help other abuse victims. She’s such a lovely person and while I’m sure she doesn’t need a man to be happy, I do keep hoping she’ll find the love she deserves with that certain someone who keeps hovering about. And Maggie, well, not that I don’t admire Maggie’s work ethic, I do, but I wish she would let her hair down once in a while, put herself first a little more.
In terms of the cases Maggie’s working on this time, I cottoned on to one twist very early on, still I didn’t manage to put two and two together until very late in the game. One thing is for sure: Noelle Holten has outdone herself culprit-wise. Whodunnit? A terrifying killer if ever there was one!
Dead Secret is another great addition to a great police procedural series. I’ll assume that if you read the first three, you’ll want to read this as well, and right you are! And if you’re new to the series, do check it out!
Dead Secret is out today in all digital formats. Paperback lovers will have to wait until July to feed their TBR.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK (One More Chapter) and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
I read a post from someone who said the knew early on who the killer was and I was like, “How?” I didn’t realize it til later (like you) and what a surprise! Wonderful review, Kelly!
Thank you, Tessa 😘 I feel like I should have known though 😂
😂. I try not to know. I think that’s why I don’t like it when I do. If I’m trying not to know and yet I still do… not good.
It depends. When I figure it out and I feel it was really obvious and that’s why I figured it out, I hate it. But when I figure it out and it doesn’t feel obvious and the author makes me wait until the end to get confirmation? I love that, makes me feel really clever 😂