The Secret

by Katerina Diamond

[Leah]

The Secret is one of those books you’ll be thinking about for ages. Just like with The Teacher, Katerina Diamond has hit it out of the park yet again – although I will confess that, this time, I had it all figured out. ALL HAIL QUEEN LEAH!!!! QUEEN OF FIGURING OUT THE PLOT TWISTS!!!! I am inordinately pleased with myself, because half way through this book I was baffled as anything, trying to put the threads together, but once I put the book down for five minutes, had a think, mentally plotted it all out, putting people here, there and everywhere, I had it down.

What I like best about Katerina’s writing, is that this is clearly a long-game series. Much like Sarah Hilary’s D.I. Marnie Rome series, it feels like it’s going to take time for everything to come out, and there’s ongoing plots as the books go on, it feels like you’re only just scratching the surface of Detective Imogen Grey’s life, and story, and seeing it all unravel, the bits come together is a special, yet awful, thing.

The case this time around revolves around a missing lass, Bridget, but it is sooooooo much more complicated than that. If you’re going to read this book, you need a clear head and no distractions because there is a lot going on, other threads that bring the entire story together and you end up so wrapped up that you feel like you’re actually there, witnessing it. Like you’re not in your real life any more, and any distraction is an irritation.

I love the partnership between Detectives Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles, because there’s no romantic attachment (yet????), it’s just two people, solving crimes, who get on pretty well and that’s pretty amazing. The two just “get” each other, and I hope they’ll be solving cases for years to come (years, Katerina, let’s not be killing Miles off, eh?). But what also intrigued me during The Secret was the relationship between Imogen and Dean, which was amazing, because their chemistry was quite intense, but also kind of illegal? Or is it ok? I have no idea, but it was a fascinating cat and mouse dance, back when Imogen was still in Plymouth. Why Imogen came to Exeter from Plymouth is horrifying, and you will once again need a strong stomach for some scenes in the book, so if gore isn’t your thing, stay clear.

The Secret is yet another smash-hit, I can feel it. It’s intense, it grips you from beginning to end, never letting go and Katerina Diamond is very much the Queen of Crime. No one writes like she does, her imagination must be a scary place! But I lap it up. It’s amazing, she keeps me hooked, on the edge of my seat, page after page. After the end of The Secret, I am raring for book three. RARING. And since we’ve had two books this year, I’m expecting two next year so no pressure Katerina