Dead Secret by Noelle Holten

Good Morning. Firstly I would like to thank Sarah Hardy at Books on the Brightside Publicity and Noelle Holten for allowing me the opportunity to read and review Dead Secret.

This is the 4th book in the DC Maggie Jamieson series and boy is it a corker. If you would like to see my reviews of the previous books you can do so here.

Blurb

Psychopaths can take root in the unlikeliest soil…

‘Enthralling from the first page to the last. Devoured in one sitting. Noelle Holten has become one of my must-read authors’ Angela Marsons, bestselling author of the Detective Kim Stone series

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

We rejoin Maggie who is still coming to terms with the events which unfolded in the previous book. (These are briefly explained for those who have not read the other books). Realising that she has to make some changes if she wants to really be happy we see Maggie try to tackle a things which make her uncomfortable but which she realises need to happen if she wants to enjoy a life outside of her career. I feel that we really get to see a different side to Maggie in this book, her insecurities and the battle she has between wanting to be liked and being professional.

The main story involves two cases which baffle Maggie and her department and we see a glimpse of the more personal side to those she works with. The pacing as always, is perfect and while this time I did suspect the perpetrator it was so brilliantly written. I love how Noelle weaves so many small details within her stories, most of which you may not even realise are parts of a bigger plot until you are slapped in the face with them.

We are left on a bit of a cliffhanger and I am really looking forward to the next book and following Maggies story.

While you don’t need to have read any of the previous books I would highly recommend that you go back to book 1 first. The way the character arc is developing is something which I feel is worth every moment to invest in and it would give a better oversight to what’s happened up to now and the way it has impacted on Maggie and those around her.

Absolutely brilliant read.

Author Profile

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

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Available to purchase on Amazon UK here and all others are currently 99p!

Thanks for reading.