Book reviews

Book review: I Know Your Secret by Ruth Heald


Title: I Know Your Secret

Author: Ruth Heald

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 10th June 2020

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

You’re not who you say you are. Neither is she.

She thinks she’s got away with it. She thinks she’s turned over a new leaf, that the past is in the past.

She thinks she’s finally safe, with her perfect son, her devoted husband, and her immaculate suburban house.

She believes the memories of what she did all those years ago are confined to her bedside drawer, tucked carefully away.

She believes she deserves a second chance.

I have to know, how can she live with herself? Isn’t she haunted by the wail of the alarm, the smoke in her lungs, the echoing scream? Doesn’t she lose sleep over the way the flames licked the walls, devouring everything they touched? Why hasn’t the guilt eaten her alive?

So how can I forget? How can I forgive?

Because I know her secret. And I’m not letting her get away with it.

My review:

I devoured this book in only a few sittings. It was incredibly gripping and enticing and I was left swiftly turning the pages, eager to find out if my suspicions about the two main characters were right.

Danielle and Beth play a neverending guessing game as both are convinced that the other wants something sinister. Beth, a marriage counselor looking for more work, is struggling in her own relationship and hopes to distract herself by taking on more work. She warms to Danielle at first but after her past and relationship with her husband are slowly revealed Beth starts to wonder if her therapy sessions with Danielle are doing more harm than good. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game between these two characters and how the author developed an array of complex personality traits in both of them.

The plot was filled with deceitful schemes and mysteries and took several unexpected twists. There were plenty of lies and secrets and many complex family relationships which I wasn’t expecting but enjoyed nevertheless. The transitions between the two characters’ points of view in each chapter were smooth and allowed the reader to get to know both characters without removing the element of suspense.

Although I couldn’t guess the big twist, I believe that it could have been extended for a few more chapters as the ending felt rushed. However, the satisfying epilogue was enough to convince me that I had read an absorbing and memorable thriller with brilliant character development and unexpected twists. I highly recommend I Know Your Secret to anyone itching to read a suspenseful thriller and I am excited to read more by Ruth Heald.

I Know Your Secret is out to buy today!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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