Renée Knight follows up her international sensation Disclaimer with this shivery tale of psychological suspense, featuring a character as disturbing and compelling as Mrs. Danvers in Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca.From her first day as Personal Assistant to the celebrated Mina Appleton, Christine Butcher understands what is expected of her. Absolute loyalty. Absolute discretion. For twenty years, … discretion. For twenty years, Christine has been a most devoted servant, a silent witness to everything in Mina’s life. So quiet, you would hardly know she is there.
Day after day, year after year, Christine has been there, invisible—watching, listening, absorbing all the secrets floating around her. Keeping them safe.
Christine is trusted. But those years of loyalty and discretion come with a high price. And eventually Christina will pay.
Yet, it would be a mistake to underestimate such a steadfast woman as Christine. Because as everyone is about to discover, there’s a dangerous line between obedience and obsession.
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I always try to persevere with a book if it doesn’t grip me from the start, hoping that there will be a great twist or wonderful surprise along the way. However, this was a struggle. I just couldn’t get to grips with the sheer mentality of the main character, Christine Butcher. We all know that many secretaries go above & beyond the call of duty, yet Christine came across as irrational & irritating. Many parts I found tedious, yet the conclusion had me dumbfounded. On a positive, the writing style is good & the plot realistic.
Very weak storyline. Not a thriller by any stretch of the imagination but it was a sleeper. kept waiting for it to pick up and it never did,
Enjoyed this book very much.
Nice book. The end is a bit tough…
Story of an unappreciated but loyal secretary to an unscrupulous boss. After lying for her boss in court, she finally comes to her senses about the truth. The reader then enjoys how she takes her revenge! A good read.
Great read! There is slow and satisfying character and relationship development that kept me hooked throughout.
I didn’t care for this book. I didn’t relate to the characters. I feel the main character wasn’t able to say no to her boss and therefore wasn’t true to herself and her moral conscious.
While I thought the book was good, I did find it depressing in the end.
So, so good!
The Secretary by Renée Knight might be on the slower side for some, but I was confused from the very beginning and it was great!
What it’s about: Christine Butcher has been Mina Appleton’s secretary for over 18 years when Mina is accused of perverting justice and unlawful practice regarding the running of the family business, Appleton’s supermarkets. Christine has been keeping Mina’s secrets for years, and silently watching everything she does, but not always seeing Mina for what she is. Once the court case comes to a close though, that will all be about to change….
The Secretary is told almost like a story, from Christine’s perspective, and there isn’t a whole lot of dialog between characters. You are inside her head the entire time and seeing everything from her eyes. This book is truly FULL of unlikable characters, and I was hard pressed to find anyone I really liked all that much. Mina is awful, and Christine is a doormat, until she’s not.
I am having a hard time categorizing this novel as a mystery, thriller, suspense, etc. There is a court case which had a procedural aspect, but overall I guess I would call this a psychological thriller since we are inside the head of Christine the entire time. Some people also said the end was either too crazy, or it was so crazy that it made the book, but I kinda saw what was coming. I liked the way Knight decided to end the novel, and I think it was a perfect fit for our character.
Final Thought: While I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, I think a lot of people would like it. If you like a novel that’s on the slower side with some courtroom drama, this is for you! While I didn’t think it was especially slow personally, I can see how many would think it is. So my warning to you is be prepared for a slower book and you will be just fine.
Exceptionally different read! Our heroin has made herself invaluable to her employer, and throughout the story, we learn just how priceless she is and how unappreciated she is by her boss. The characters in this book are well introduced, and the story isn’t bogged down with detail and long narratives. I totally did not predict the ending of this book when I should have seen it coming. This will keep you turning pages!
Very good book. A look at loyalty that became obsession and was very costly.