Today I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for Dead Secret. My review is written with thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book On The Bright Side for inviting me on the tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of the book via Netgalley.

Blurb:

Psychopaths can take root in the unlikeliest soil…

DC Maggie Jamieson crosses paths once again with Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood when a domestic violence survivor stumbles into her new refuge, unable to speak, desperate for help.

Then another case hits Maggie’s desk. A young man has been murdered, and a curious constellation of black dots has been inked onto his cheek.

That’s when DCI Hastings goes missing and Maggie uncovers a shocking connection that turns the case on its head.Every family may hide secrets, but not every family buries them…

Review:

The DC Maggie Jamieson series just gets better and better! When the series started, Maggie came across as a little standoffish and difficult to get to know. She still holds her cards close to her chest, but I felt that in Dead Secret, she comes out of her shell slightly more and there are a few personal developments for her and this was fabulous to see. 

It was also great to catch up with Lucy, who readers first met in Dead Inside. It was interesting to see how her plans for the refuge had progressed. Through the refuge, Holten is able to explore the theme of domestic violence. It is clear that this is a subject the author knows well and her knowledge gives her characters authenticity and allows readers to really engage with the plot. 

The plot is full of intrigue. It has a few different strands to it and it wasn’t until the very end that I was able to see how they would come together. There are lots of twists and turns before we discover the answers and I found it very difficult to put this book down, especially as the tension keeps rising!As always, Dead Secret finishes on a cliffhanger which leaves me screaming for the fifth book in the series! Holten has set it up perfectly and I cannot wait!

Dead Secret is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: