Review: The Secret by Katerina Diamond 


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Release date: October 20, 2016

Publisher: Avon UK

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Goodreads blurb:

The Queen of Grip-lit is back…


‘A terrific story, originally told. All hail the new Queen of Crime!’ HEAT


‘A web of a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This formidable debut is a page-turner, but don’t read it before bed if you’re easily spooked!’ SUN


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… 

Review: 

I have to start this review by admitting that I didn’t read the first book in this series, The Teacher. In the past, I would never read a series out of order, but within the past few months, I’ve stopped caring. I feel like I would miss out on too many great books if I skipped book four in a series because I didn’t read the first three. It’s been working out pretty well for me so far, but I think this time I may have screwed up by not reading book one first. Whoops.

It all begins with Bridget Reid, a woman who has found herself in a terrifying situation. She’s been abducted by a man and she’s being held captive. Nothing makes sense to her though, she’s pretty well taken care of, but why can’t she remember anything day to day? And is everything she is witnessing real or is she cracking up? 

Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles are the officers assigned to Bridget’s case. Portions of the book are told from Bridget’s point of view and there are also sections told from both Grey’s and Miles perspectives. I really liked the two of them as partners, they’re jaded and struggle with their own morality which made them relatable and interesting. There are flashbacks to Grey’s life two years ago when she worked in Plymouth and she’s now in Exeter. At first, I had no idea why we were being told about old events, but soon it all makes sense and things converge beautifully. There are also parts told from a young unknown boy that added a real chill to the story. His chapters were told in such a dispassionate and cold manner that I actually got goosebumps a few times!

This was so close to being a five star read for me, it had so many aspects I loved. There were gory and gruesome crime scenes, secrets and betrayals, well written characters, and plenty of mystery. The problem I had here was that the middle dragged for me. With so many viewpoints and timeframes, I found myself a little confused. I kept mixing up details about the case from two years prior and the current one. For those of you who read The Teacher, do you think I would’ve been less confused if I started there? I’m really wondering if it was just me?

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of mysteries and thrillers. Diamond really did an excellent job merging all the various storylines and plotted them all together tidily. The ending was left wide open, I can only assume that there will be a third book in the series and I will definitely be checking it out. I really think maybe I need to find time to go back and read book one, maybe I can bump my rating up? 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Avon UK for my copy, this review is my thanks to them.

33 thoughts on “Review: The Secret by Katerina Diamond ”

  5. Books, Vertigo and Tea says:
    Reply
    Vertigo79's avatar

    Ok so we have cupcakes (is it wrong to love the cover for this very reason?) and goosebumps! I am sold. I have recently started jumping in on a few series as well, which was always a huge no no for me in the past. Sometimes it works, sometimes I find myself having to stop in frustration to read a previous book. So I really appreciate hearing the experience of other readers who do this. Love the review!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Emma says:
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    Emma's avatar

    I have this book on my to read list but hadn’t somehow picked up it was a series though I’d seen the earlier book recommended too. I normally don’t worry about jumping into a series but as this only one book behind I may do that just to be on the safe side.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Annie says:
    Reply
    Ani - The Misstery's avatar

    This was a five for me 🙂 I love being “confused”, loved the multiple POVs hahaha But I get how it was a bit confusing. I skipped the parts when they talked about The Teacher, I want to read that one!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Anne says:
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    Anne's avatar

    I applaud your not giving a damn about starting a series with a random part! 😁 I really should do that more often as well and see if it works. Too little time to read all the previous books first! Too bad you noticed the impact of it on this one, but hey, if it was still a great read? 😉 Great review Amy!

    Liked by 1 person

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