Review: One Little Secret by Cate Holahan

"His irises seemed to melt into his pupils, two black holes rimmed with dying stars, sucking the light from the room, pulling her into darkness." (loc. 1558, uncorrected proof)

★★★★★

Review:

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free Kindle ARC edition of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I feel as though I have read a lot of books set in the Hamptons, lately. Thankfully, returning to the Hamptons through Cate Holahan's eyes has been an incredible ride! Each time you think you have figured out whodunnit, evidence emerges pointing to the contrary.

Three couples have arrived at a beach house in the Hamptons on vacation. After an eventful and mentally-taxing first night for everyone, one of the couples discovers the body of one of the vacationers on the beach. One of the wives has been murdered. Could someone in their group of friends be capable of such brutality? Gabby, the detective on the case, is also working a rape case, and the deeper she digs, the more apparent it is that these two cases are linked in some way, and they are hitting much too close to home.

The timeline jumps back and forth between the events leading up to the killing and the investigation following it. No one is innocent. Everyone has a secret. Each of them are tangled in a web of deceit. But which of them could possibly be capable of murder?

Holahan expertly navigates the alternating timelines and keeps you guessing the entire time. An unputdownable page-turner. I can't stop thinking about it!

#netgalley #onelittlesecret

Audience: Adult

Recommended for fans of: thriller, mystery, suspense, crime, domestic thriller

Trigger warnings: rape, domestic abuse, murder

Publisher's Synopsis:

Everyone has a secret. For some, it's worth dying to protect. For others, it's worth killing.

The glass beach house was supposed to be the getaway that Susan needed. Eager to help her transplanted family set down roots in their new town--and desperate for some kid-free conversation--she invites her new neighbors to join in on a week-long sublet with her and her workaholic husband.

Over the course of the first evening, liquor loosens inhibitions and lips. The three couples begin picking up on the others' marital tensions and work frustrations, as well as revealing their own. But someone says too much. And the next morning one of the women is discovered dead on the private beach.

Town detective Gabby Watkins must figure out who permanently silenced the deceased. As she investigates, she learns that everyone in the glass house was hiding something that could tie them to the murder, and that the biggest secrets of all are often in plain sight for anyone willing to look.

A taut, locked room mystery with an unforgettable case of characters, One Little Secret promises to keep readers' eyes glued to the pages and debating the blinders that we all put on in the service of politeness.

Source:

Netgalley

©Crooked Lane Books: July 9, 2019

Edition: Kindle ARC

Disclaimer: By clicking the link below, you will be directed to Amazon.com through my affiliate link. Should you decide to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. This commission helps to cover costs associated with running this blog.

Follow me on Instagram and Goodreads!

@winecellarlibrary