REVIEW: Our Little Secret by Roz Nay @stmartinspress @roznay1 #allthebookreviews
Our Little Secret
by Roz Nay
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for this copy!
An impressive and unique debut thriller about first love.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: April 17, 2018
Hardcover
272 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
Goodreads Synopsis:
Roz Nay's Our Little Secret is a twisted tale of love, pain, and revenge that will stay with the reader long after they turn the last page.
They say you never forget your first love. What they don't say though, is that sometimes your first love won't forget you...
A police interview room is the last place Angela expected to find herself today. It's been hours, and they keep asking her the same inane questions over and over. "How do you know the victim?" "What's your relationship with Mr. Parker?" Her ex's wife has gone missing, and anyone who was close to the couple is a suspect. Angela is tired of the bottomless questions and tired of the cold room that stays the same while a rotating litany of interrogators changes shifts around her. But when criminologist Novak takes over, she can tell he's not like the others. He's ready to listen, and she knows he'll understand. When she tells him that her story begins a decade before, long before Saskia was in the picture, he gives her the floor.
A twenty-something young professional, Angela claims to have no involvement. How could she? It's been years since she and H.P., Mr. Parker that is, were together. As her story unfolds, it deepens and darkens. There's a lot to unpack... betrayal, jealousy, and a group of people who all have motives for retribution. If Angela is telling the truth, then who's lying?
My Review:
I absolutely love it when a debut novel just shines! This is Angela's story as she is being held and questioned by the police. As she talks to Detective Novak, she starts at the very beginning. In high school, when she met HP and how it relates to the disappearance of Saskia.
I have to say... I was intrigued from the beginning. I was enthralled with Angela/LJ's story and had a hard time putting the book down. She continually goes back and forth with the Detective. She claims she had nothing to do with the disappearance. She hasn't spoken with or been around HP or Saskia for some time. As the story unfolds, we get a full picture of what developed over the years and the further we get in, the more we see how complicated things could get. But what is the absolute truth when we are only getting Angela's side of the story?
This is a compulsive and quick read. I liked the uniqueness in how the story is told and there's never anything muddled when going from past to present. All of these kids are a bit whacked but really, when you're young and just starting out in life you tend to make some interesting decisions and really everything seemed fairly "normal" all things considered. At under 300 pages, Roz really pulls you into this story and tells it well. As always, short chapters help to move it along and I found myself powering through this on my train ride.
I did figure it all out well before the ending. However, that did not detract from how entertaining I found this. Especially so as a debut. I look forward to seeing what else Roz brings our way. Anyone who likes those quick, compulsive thrillers will likely find this well within their wheelhouse.
★★★★
Jessica's Review:
We begin with Angela in an interrogation room. She is cycling through different detectives and being asked the same questions over and over. Then Detective Novak takes a seat opposite her with the same question, what was her relationship with Saskia like. We are taken through her history with HP, her first love, and the transformation of their relationship, as well as his current relationship with Saskia. Is she simply missing or is this something worse?
We go through the story of HP and Angela's romance and how Saskia came into the picture. Angela slowly starts to let Detective Novak in on how she knows Saskia and we also discover how HP and Saskia came back into her life.
This is a quick read, and just under 250 pages we get just enough character and story development to keep you hooked. This is one you can easily finish in a sitting, or at least a day! While it seems like a lighter read, is is packed with dark secrets and sinister plots. You'll find yourself sucked into the story and wanting to know the answers from this potentially unreliable narrator.
I give this 5/5 stars!
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