ARC REVIEW: Keep Her Secret – by Mark Edwards

Title: Keep Her Secret
Author: Mark Edwards
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: May 30th 2023
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: May 8th 2023
Pages: 322

“And I knew without a shadow of a doubt: nothing was ever going to be the same again.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been a fan of his work ever since my first experience back in 2019, and Keep Her Secret is already book number five I’ve read by this author. There is just something about the way Mark Edwards writes that is highly addictive, and I always seem to have an excellent time reading his books. I was intrigued by the sound of the blurb of this newest story, and I’ve been excited to pick it up… And I have to say that Keep Her Secret only exceeded expectations for me.

I confess that I was a tad worried this was too much of a slow-paced psychological/domestic thriller, because that type of book hasn’t really worked for me recently… I shouldn’t have doubted my instincts though, because Keep Her Secret was anything but slow. In fact, this story hit the ground running and I found myself unable to stop reading until I finally reached that last page… Sure, this is technically a psychological thriller and there is some domestic drama involved, but this story delivers so much more on the side. It’s a fantastic mix of genres and elements, with a plot that had me on my edge of my seat until the very end.

I loved the chapters set in Iceland, where the surroundings were not only backdrop but played an active role in the plot. It shows that the author visited the country himself! I also liked Brighton as a backdrop, and again the location played an important role in certain aspects of the plot. The descriptions really made the different locations come alive, and I liked what they added to the story. The plot itself is well built up; the story is divided into parts and there are also POV switches to keep the tension and suspense up.

The story really takes off after Helena confesses her crime… While the identity of the blackmailer didn’t come as a surprise, with the way the plot was structured and the suspense was built up I didn’t really mind. Things soon started spiraling out of control, and I loved every minute of the ride as everything started to go from bad to worse. There were quite a few twists I didn’t see coming, and there is no doubt that Keep Her Secret goes out with a bang.

Highly engaging, action-packed, suspenseful and simply fascinating: I had a fantastic time reading Keep Her Secret, and if you like your psychological thrillers on the fast and eventful side, I can highly recommend adding it to your wishlist.