The Secrets We Keep by M.I. Hattersley
Genre: Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 28th May 2023
Published: 24th May 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Twenty years ago on a midnight drive along a country lane, Rob’s life was almost destroyed.
Since then, he's fought hard to get things back on track. Now he runs his own high-end restaurant, has a loving wife and daughter. And a newborn baby only adds to the joy.
But when an old friend, Dan, shows up, Rob realises the life he’s carved out for himself is under threat.
Because Dan was there that night. He knows Rob’s dark secret. And now it seems he’s going to use what he knows to push his own sinister agenda.
Rob is desperate to keep the past hidden from his wife, Jessie, but his secretive behaviour is driving a wedge between them, threatening their marriage. Things are going from bad to worse - and then the police come knocking, asking questions about that fateful night.
Rob must battle with his own demons, as well as the ghosts from his past, to protect himself and those he loves. But who can he trust when he can’t even trust himself?
MY THOUGHTS:
A buried secret...a guilty conscience...and an old friend who could destroy everything...
This is the first book I've read by Matthew Hattersley (writing as M.I. Hattersley) and I'm always a sucker for a domestic suspense tale. But boy, what a tangled web that was woven!
Rob Wilkes has lived in Glossop in Derbyshire for most of his life. Apart from the wayward years he spent trying to lose himself in London after an incident in his teens that changed the course of his life forever. Then ten years ago he met and married the love of his life, Jessie, and just when they thought parenthood was not to be, five years ago Jessie fell pregnant with Fern and just three weeks ago gave birth to their son Noah. Of course it has thrown their life into turmoil as it had been the couple's dream to open their own restaurant which they did with Jessie working front of house and Rob as head chef. But after the birth of their children, Jessie is now stuck at home with three week old Noah who seems to scream every minute of every day and night, wearing down Jessie's last nerve.
And then there's the secret he's keeping from her. It all goes back to when he was a teenager twenty years ago with his best mate Dan, a childhood friend with whom he went separate ways. And then one day Dan knocks on his door with a need to unburden himself and cleanse his soul.
Dan's timing couldn't be worse. The restaurant they worked so hard to make happen suffered during the pandemic and he is so badly in debt he isn't sure its resounding the success is enough to bail him out of hot water. And then there is Jessie at home, who is obviously suffering from post natal depression - any idiot can see that but Rob, it seems, could not. It was slightly disturbing that he didn't see that there was clearly something wrong with her. Her constant snapping and sniping and mood swings were enough to give me whiplash and grate on my nerves but poor Rob, no matter what he did, just couldn't do a thing right. She is obsessed with the notion that he is cheating on her though where she gets that idea from is anyone's guess. It's hard not to sympathise with him despite his situation as dealing with Jessie's moods are increasingly difficult. So when Dan turns up, things only go from bad to worse. Jessie knows Rob is hiding something and that Dan is involved and she wants to know what.
OK, so yes, Rob is keeping secrets from his wife. On that score, she is correct. But I do believe Rob when he says he is keeping them from her to protect her and save her from worrying because if she knew the state of the business' financial affairs she would inevitably worry. But when it comes to the big secret he is keeping, it is a little hard to accept though I do in part grudgingly understand. To tell her would only cause goodness knows what given her current state of mind. I do believe he had the best of intentions but he was just so wrapped up in what was happening I guess his judgement was a little off. He clearly loves his wife and yet while he continued to keep secrets from her I think he was doing so from a good place. But at the same time he was guilty of something bigger that couldn't be undone. How he was going to get past that I've no idea.
I do have to wonder at how an author, proof readers and an editor can fail to spot the difference between "desert" and "dessert" because at Rob's restaurant they served an awful lot of "desert". And there was one point where Rob had just been telling Jessie he will stay home today and that the staff can run the lunch service and that he won't be needed till dinner...and then he drops Fern off at pre-school and then texts Jessie to say he was going to the restaurant, where he then helped with the lunch service. But he had just finished telling his wife he was staying home to help her. *scratches head*
At just 216 pages, this was a quick read that begins with a deadly secret and ends up a tangled mess of lies and deception...and an even bigger hole he has dug for himself. And while I found the storyline compelling I did feel something was missing from it though I can't quite put my finger on what. I did enjoy it though. It was fast paced and whilst a tad predictable, an entertaining read.
I would like to thank #MatthewHattersley, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheSecretsWeKeep in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Now he writes psychological and domestic thrillers and, as Matthew Hattersley, is a bestselling author of action thrillers.
He lives with his wife and daughter in Derbyshire and is not too comfortable writing about himself in third person.
This is his first psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
Social media links:
Wesbite | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
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