This Secret Thing: A Novel

by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Out of love. Out of protection. Out of fear. Everyone has a reason to lie.

Everyone in Raleigh, North Carolina, is talking about Norah Ramsey, the single mother accused of being a suburban madam. But Norah’s not the only one keeping secrets.

After her mother’s arrest, Norah’s teenage daughter, Violet, is devastated and alone. She has no one to turn to until her grandmother Polly arrives. Polly, long estranged from Norah, is running from her own troubles. Down the street, Bess, once Norah’s best friend, desperately tries to hide secrets while Casey, Bess’s daughter, flees college after a traumatic event, only to find that home isn’t the safe haven she expected. And Nico, the detective who has doggedly pursued Norah Ramsey in hopes that she will lead him to his missing brother, is drawn further into these women’s lives while facing his own domestic disturbance.

Scandal has brought each of them to a crossroads. Now, as they delve into Norah’s secrets, they must come to terms with secrets of their own—ones that still have the power to hurt or to heal.

• ISBN10: 1542019478
• ISBN13: 9781542019477
• Publish Date: 15 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Imprint: Lake Union Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Strong Multi-Generational (and multi-POV) Tale of Secrets And The Havoc They Wreak. This is a tale told from half a dozen or so intersecting POVs - the teenager whose mom has just been arrested for prostitution, the detective investigating the case, the grandmother who must now care for a granddaughter she hasn't seen in over a decade, the down the street neighbor who had a major falling out with the mother years ago, and the neighbor's oldest daughter who has suddenly left college under mysterious circumstances. Every single person, even the non-POV characters, has secrets, and all of these secrets are causing all kinds of problems.

Truly an excellent tale, though you may need to be reader for the multi-POV thing to really appreciate it (and hence the reason I spent so much of that first bit detailing that). Couple of lines in there that fit perfectly within the story that we *all* need to apply to our lives today - which is always an awesome find.

Ultimately Whalen did another excellent job, and I'm yet again very much looking forward to her next book. Very much recommended.