“If there has been a better mystery-suspense story written in this decade, I can’t think of it . . . transcend[s] the genre.” —Stephen King“A cruel and cunning mystery . . . Plot-twisting, mind-altering and monstrously funny.” —The New York Times Book ReviewThe latest gripping psychological thriller from Edgar Award winner Alex MarwoodWhen a child goes missing at an opulent house party, it makes … missing at an opulent house party, it makes international news. But what really happened behind those closed doors?
Twelve years ago, Mila Jackson’s three-year-old half-sister Coco disappeared during their father’s fiftieth birthday celebration, leaving behind her identical twin Ruby as the only witness. The girls’ father, Sean, was wealthy and influential, as were the friends gathered at their seaside vacation home for the weekend’s debauchery. The case ignited a media frenzy and forever changed the lives of everyone involved.
Now, Sean Jackson is dead, and the people who were present that terrible night must gather once more for a funeral that will reveal that the secrets of the past can never stay hidden. Perfectly paced all the way through its devastating conclusion, The Darkest Secret is one that fans of Gillian Flynn and Liane Moriarty won’t be able to put down.
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If there has been a better mystery-suspense story written in this decade, I can’t think of it… transcends the genre.
The Darkest Secret is Alex Marwood’s best book yet — no small thing when one considers that her first two crime novels were both award winners. Her plots are always top-notch — deft, twisty — but it’s the humanity she grants all her characters that makes her one of our best. This story will grip you to the final page, but Milly and her troubled family may never leave you.
At turns suspenseful, chilling and deeply, unexpectedly moving, The Darkest Secret is a true tour de force. Alex Marwood’s richly detailed, heartbreakingly human characters will stay with you long after the book’s shocking conclusion. I loved it.
With The Darkest Secret, Alex Marwood has become one of my must-read crime writers. It’s an amazingly gripping book, and the structure is a thing of beauty.
With the psychological acuity of Kate Atkinson and a dark wit all her own, Alex Marwood draws us into The Darkest Secret with utter narrative cunning, then surprises with its emotional wallop, its deeper resonances. In so doing, she demonstrates, without a doubt, that she is one of crime fiction’s brightest stars. Not to be missed.
Through the lens of a child abduction, Marwood offers an intriguing look into the social dynamics of a group of longtime friends. I read a lot, and I’ve never come across anything that was as true-to-life as this. She captures the way people jockey for dominance in a manner that’s eye-opening, thoughtful, and frankly, disturbing.
I’m an unabashed fan of Alex Marwood and so I’m not sure how I missed this when it first came out, but it was well worth the wait.
The Darkest Secret tells the story of Sean Jackson, a wealthy and influential developer, and the events surrounding his 50th birthday party bash, a weekend of debauchery that ultimately leads to the disappearance of Coco, his three-and-a-half year old daughter from wife #2.
Self-absorbed and blatantly cheating on his second wife with a woman who will eventually become his third, the reader sees Sean through the eyes of his second wife, Claire, her daughters India/Indy and Milly/Mila (in many ways, this book is as much about Mila Jackson as it is about Sean), his friends aka hangers-on and enablers, an adult Ruby, twin of the still missing Coco, and the besotted teenage daughter of one of the friends who, as wife #4, also becomes his widow.
The book shifts POVs at a rapid rate, flipping back and forth from that momentous weekend in March 2004 to Sean Jackson’s funeral in the present day, and in less talented hands that stylistic choice could prove confusing if not disastrous. But Marwood is more than equal to the task, the storytelling compelling, and the ending, while unexpected, is just plain perfect. Highly recommended.
Excellent
I might not exactly like how this book ended, but I’m also delighted at how it surprised me. Really well-done suspense that keeps you riveted in the characters and the mysteries until the very last page.
A deliciously dark story.
Intriguing view of a dysfunctional family/family friends following the tragic loss of a little girl twin. The book title describes perfectly the plot. The characters are fascinating. Quite a mix of interesting, likable/unlikeable, believable humans. This was my first Alex Marwood book, but will not be my last. I recommend.
found it to be very dark and I didn’t finish it.
I couldn’t put it down. The characters were engaging and the plot was very intriguing. Sometimes I like a story but don’t really care enough about the characters to care very much how things turn out. In this case, I really wanted to know why happened and was kept guessing until the end. I also loved the writer’s wit. A dark subject was more entertaining because of her witty prose and ironic perspective.
5 stars
What happened to 3-year-old Coco? I spent most of the book trying to figure out how she disappeared from a house with a bunch of adults in it. Well, let’s just say the adults weren’t as concerned with being parents as they were with partying (and their own drama). I loved how the book moved between the present and the night it happened, and how it revealed the different character’s points of view. You don’t find out the truth until the final couple of pages and I didn’t expect it. This is a great mystery by a brilliant writer. Highly recommended!
Very hard to follow.
disturbing and unrealistic
The back and forth organization of this book made it really hard to read. None of the characters were decent people. They covered up a murder of a child and no one was caught or punished. I hated that fact and probably will not read any other books by this author.
Writing in the first person from so many people’s perspectives at different times in this story was exhausting at first; but then very original and entertaining. So many personalities and so many twists and turns.
Read this book in one day- a great summer read. I have been a mystery addict since I read my first Nancy Drew book. Even though there were many plot twists the story line worked in this one. It was well written and the characters interested me.