The Secrets He Kept

Author: Jackie Walsh
Genre: Suspense
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Hera Books
First Published: November 6, 2019
Opening Lines: Smiles, tears, love, lies, deception. It all ends now. Blood flows from the wound, forming a warm blanket for me to lie in. The room blurs, my eyes flicker to a close.

Book Description from GoodReads: You know everything about your husband. Don’t you?

He loves you. He loves your children. He’d never put his family in danger.

One of these is a lie.

It started like any other day at the hairdressers where Sally works as a stylist… until her first client innocently shows her a family photograph; a photograph that causes Sally to collapse in shock.

In one moment, Sally discovers that Tom has been hiding an explosive secret – one that could tear apart the life they’ve built together. Faced with an impossible dilemma - search for the truth, or keep her contented life? – Sally is about to discover that even those closest to us have secrets… and that sometimes the truth is the last thing we want to hear.

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review: When Sally discovers her husband has been keeping a big secret from her, she begins to question how well she knows her spouse of 16 years. As her unease and questions mount, Sally attempts to get to the bottom of his increasing deceit. This is the premise behind The Secrets He Kept, an impressive and compulsive domestic thriller.

I found this to be a quick read and interesting in a 'rubbernecker' kind of way as the reader witnesses the implosion of a family that once had strong ties. Sally is the main character who is trying to make sense of her husband's deceit and keep her family together. Readers will sympathize with her but may feel frustrated at her initial naïveté as she tries to explain away her husband's growing lies until she can not longer ignore the truth. 

As the lies increase, so does the tension making this a hard to put down book. As an avid reader of this genre, I had a few suspicions but soon guessed the big secret. Even so, the journey to the end of this thriller was enjoyable and I was impressed by its twists, growing tension and satisfying ending.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.