Keep Her Secret by Mark Edwards
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 4th June 2023
Published: 30th May 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
In this sinister tale from 4 million copy bestselling author Mark Edwards, a deadly secret turns a couple’s new romance into a nightmare. And they’re not the only ones who know the truth…
After twenty years apart, Matthew and Helena have rekindled their college romance and are away in Iceland on their first holiday together. Swept up in the romance on a mountain hike, one moment they are taking the perfect photo, the next Helena is hanging from the cliff edge…
Terrified, Matthew almost misses Helena’s sudden and shocking confession—but what he hears chills him to the bone. And when Helena reveals the full truth Matthew is horrified, not only by what she’s done, but why she did it. Does he really know her at all?
His shock turns to horror when, back in England, they discover that someone not only overheard Helena’s confession but plans to blackmail her. Now Matthew must decide whether to go to the police or help Helena keep her secret—and as events spiral out of control, how far is Matthew willing to go to protect his ‘perfect’ girlfriend?
MY THOUGHTS:
How far would go to protect the one you love...?
It's been awhile since I've sunk my teeth into a Mark Edwards thriller so I thought with the release of this new one, I should take the leap and delve into its chilling depths and peel back the layers of secrets, lies and twisted deception. Because even though you think you know what is going on, you really don't.
Helena and Matthew are on a spontaneous hiking trip in Iceland having just reconnected after twenty years apart. Having recently lost her husband Lee several months before, Helena throws caution to the wind and agrees to join Matthew on a Northern Lights tour to Iceland. The couple are completely loved up and enjoying their newly rekindled affair when they find themselves separated from the group. Helena is in search of the perfect ultimate photo and will stop at nothing from getting it, posing for selfies in the most precarious of places. She convinces Matthew to follow her to something akin to the top of the world that inevitably holds the best views of the mountains, its valleys and stretching to the sea beyond. It is perfect. Giving Matthew her her phone she poses on the cliff edge, the stunning views behind her.
And then...three seconds is all it takes. Matthew swipes his face, the phone slips, Helena steps back to avoid a collision...into nothingness. And then she's gone.
Matthew freezes. He scrambles to the cliff edge expecting to see Helena's broken body in the valley below. But instead she is a few feet away, the strap of her rucksack having caught on a ledge. But it won't hold for long. Matthew is torn. Should he go for help as there is no phone service here? But Helena pleads with him not to leave her. But he cannot save her on his own. And then, he doesn't have to. Their tour guide has seen them and is leading the group to their location where together, they haul Helena to safety. But not before she whispered an ambiguous confession of sorts. That this was her punishment. What did she mean?
Later in the safety of their cabin, Helena confides in Matthew the truth about what she said up on that cliff edge when she thought she was going to die. A confession that shocks him. But one which he promises to keep and take to the grave. He will keep her secret.
Days later, they have returned to England and to their respective homes. Helena in Brighton and Matthew to London. But when Matthew suddenly finds himself out of a job (cutbacks etc.), Helena invites him to come and stay with her in her stunning house on the cliff above and old smuggler's cove. They had barely made themselves comfortable when the doorbell rings at quite literally the eleventh hour - 11pm at night. They are shocked and surprised to find Devon, one of their group from Iceland, on the doorstep. What on earth does she want? It seems she has come to return Helena's lost journal she had misplaced on the journey home...but she also has an ulterior motive. The secret Helena confided in Matthew about in Iceland? Devon had overheard the confession and what's worse, she recorded it. And now she wants something in return. But things only go from bad to worse and these two only dig themselves in deeper as it goes.
But the secrets have only just begun to resurface... There are so many and everyone is hiding something. So who wants what? And how will it all end? And who will keep her secret?
KEEP HER SECRET is somewhat far-fetched, as are many of Edwards' thrillers, but who cares? I'm here for the entertainment value and the thrills. And this was both of those plus a fast moving quick read I devoured in a day. It's hard to like any of the characters - Helena, Matthew, Devon, Lee - the only one I felt anything for was poor Robin. He was so blind and yet he meant well.
I am a great fan of Edwards' psychological thrillers with three of them being huge favourites - "Follow You Home", "The Magpies" and "Here to Stay". He has the ability to draw the reader into a tangled web of secrets, lies and deceit and keeps you there until every last thread is unravelled. The suspense is high and the tension is palpable with several twists along the way, though I did guess most (if not all) of them. I thought the epilogue was an incredibly clever touch and those final words "what could possibly go wrong?" pure perfection!!
Thank you again, Mr Edwards, for another thrilling and addictive read. I was surely entertained from start to finish. Perfect for fans of John Marrs.
As a side note, interestingly this book was published on mine and my husband's 25th wedding anniversary.
I would like to thank #MarkEdwards, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #KeepHerSecret in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
He has sold more than three million copies of his books and topped the bestseller lists numerous times since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013.
His other novels are What You Wish For, Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, The Devil’s Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published two short sequels to The Magpies, A Murder of Magpies and Last of The Magpies, and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Estonian, Thai, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish and Russian.
In 2019 Mark won The Cat and Mouse Award for Most Elusive Villain at the Dead Good Reader Awards for Last of the Magpies.
Mark loves hearing from his readers and encourages them to contact him. He regularly interacts with readers on his Facebook page, where he hosts book release launch parties and lots of giveaways.
You can follow Mark on Twitter, like his Facebook page or take a peek at his pics on Instagram.
Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, three cats and a golden retriever.
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