My review
This is a novel about secrets, secrets which ruin the family of its happiness, and the aftermath of its effects are felt forever.
A family which had everything: successful father, a beautiful mother, and two daughters; a family which seemed perfect from outside had secrets rumbling and simmering in its very core. And when those secrets reached a boiling point, an outburst led to an overflow of emotions and everything is destroyed, and life as they knew it, changes forever. This is the gist of the story
What raises this story from ordinary to extraordinary is the author Barbara Copperthwaite’s writing. She starts her book with an incident happening at Christmas day and goes back eight days in the past to tell us what really happens in the Thomas family, behind closed doors. She does jump to the present Christmas day in between chapters and that kept the intrigue and the river of suspense flowing through the entire book.
What really happened to the Thomas family??
I was lulled by the author’s writing, with her giving me the background, the secrets, the family life, that when the ending hit me, I reeled with shock. It was WHAM, straight to the head, so unexpected. My heart literally stopped when I was reading the last few chapters, and I could not put the book down till I finished.
Barbara has etched each character so well that they appear almost real as the book goes on. The greed of a cheating husband, the unseeing wife who lives with blinkers on, the eldest daughter getting cyber-bullied and unable to confide in her family and the younger daughter confiding in her soft toy and finding her comfort reading books, hiding in the cupboard. Each character made me feel a different emotion: frustration for the daughter who could not confide in the mother, anger at the mother for not really seeing the truth, hate for the husband who has everything but still wanted more, and extreme pathos for the child who hid in cupboard when life got difficult. I like such books which can make me feel deep emotions for the characters.
And the ending was mind blowing..
There are few niggles
There are 102 chapters in this book, I was aghast, a long book, but luckily the chapters go fast and book is easy to finish especially as the suspense builds up
I really did not understand the character of the mother, what really made her so not connected to her family, not connected to her daughters. I did not find any valid reason for her behaviour.
But in saying this, I enjoyed this book immensely and I am still going back to Amazon, to check out Barbara Copperthwaite’s other books.
I especially liked that she dedicated this book to Ellen, her big sister.
My rating : 4 stars
About the Author
A Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, and THE DARKEST LIES. Her latest book is HER LAST SECRET. Much of her success is thanks to her twenty-odd years’ experience as a national newspaper and magazine journalist. She’s interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. Thanks to people sharing their stories with her, she knows the emotional impact of violence and wrong-doing. That’s why her novels are dark, realistic and tackle not just the crime but its repercussions. When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs
Book blurb
Everyone thinks the Thomases are the perfect family: grand London house, gorgeous kids. They don’t know wife Dominique is a paranoid wreck. They don’t know husband Ben is trapped in a web of deceit. They don’t know daughter Ruby lives in fear of the next abusive text.
But someone knows all their secrets.
Can the lies that bind them tear them apart?
Product Details
Publication date : 13th October 2017
Publisher : Bookouture
Language : English
Available on Amazon
Thriller with a twisted end
20 Responses
Very nice review Shalini.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting
Thank you for taking the time to read Her Last Secret, and write such an incredible review. Have great weekend x
Thank you for writing such such a book. Thank you for your understanding
This is interesting..Will try to catch up
.Appealing review
Thank you so much Deb it’s a good book
Fantastic Review Shalini! This in on my TBR pile for sure🤗📚😀
Thank you Dani… It is a good book. Fast. Great ending
You’re welcome 😊 I love great endings.
Me too
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
Thank you
Your review will encourage me to go through this book, and see what its all about. It seems like a gripping thriller, which can keep you on the edge of our seats. I remember reading a book called Salvation of a Saint, by Keigo Hageshino, the Japanese mystery story writer, and was really enthralled to read such an eerie thriller. I think you can go through it and review it here….what say ?
Heya.. I will try that
Do you know I have 4000 books in my TBR pile???hehehe when do I finish that
In your leasure and pleasure time…..no hurry…:)
Nice stringing of words leisure and pleasure
Am in love with the language from my early days of childhood, so sometimes love to juggle a bit….:)……and the ideas open up with like minded folks…….like you…:)
Which language do you like..
English……and my mother language Bengali naturally..
That’s great…