This can be firmly categorized in the genre of very-rich-people-behaving-horribly mysteries. I don't think anything is very surprising about what happened, i.e. you can pretty much see it coming as the story develops. But, personally, I didn't mind that. I prefer a resolution that makes sense than a big final twist at the end that feels half-baked. Anyway . . . . I thought the real strength of the book is that Marwood writes her lead characters in a very sympathetic and thoughtful manner. I enjoyed the story line of two stepsisters reconnecting after many years and trying to deal with their less than perfect past.

The ending was so confusing...

Another brilliant read from Alex Marwood
This one of those books that are hard to put down.
Fantastic plot, characters galore, I highly recommend it.

Well that was a little messed up!

390 p.

Coming soon

If you like tabloid reporting, you'll probably enjoy this book. I found it uncomfortably close to a much-publicised real-life story and the more lurid specualtions related to that. The characters were, by and large, unbelievable and unlikable, whilst the plot was sensationalist and far-fetched. I wouldn't recommend you rush to read it.

EDIT 19/04/16: holy shit, was this book supposed to similar to the Madeleine McCann disappearance?? I only just realised the similarities now that the case has resurfaced. Many of the aspects here are similar to the Madeleine McCann case (e.g. parents drugging the kids, leaving them unsupervised so they could go out)

~ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~

Sean Jackson’s three year old twin daughter, Coco, has gone missing leaving only Ruby and no one has a clue what happened. The media blames their mother, but what really happened to the little girl? The Darkest Secret plays over two weekends, set twelve years apart. The first is in 2004 where various friends and family are attending Sean's 5oth birthday weekend while the second is set twelve years later during the weekend of Sean's funeral.

This book was an intense read with engaging characters and drama that focuses on a terrible group of rich people. (for some reason, I can imagine this being a BBC program??) They were horrible- to themselves and to each other. I've never read a more self absorbed group of people like these, which makes it even more fascinating to read as you read on trying to figure out what happened and hopefully learn the truth behind the disappearance of Coco.

Marwood has written a unrelentless novel that creates a group of egoistic characters, and throughout the narrative there is a sense of complete horror as they reveal how far they will go. Overall, a thrilling novel which I felt had a slow start but once the story kicks in, it's really compelling.

I enjoyed this book!

It's well-written, and the characters are fleshed out in a satisfying way. A lesser author would make the terrible rich people in this book one-note caricatures, but Marwood makes the main players very believable, without making them any less horrible. The world of the book - the setting, the relationships, and how some of our main players change over time - all feel fully realized.

I will say, this book is less of a mystery, and more of a drama and a character study. It doesn't take long to figure out what the 'secret' of this story is, even if the details don't come out until the end. Likewise, the 'twist' at the end is clearly foreshadowed, and the 'surprise villain' is disappointingly the least believable part of the whole story. But, because of the strength of the writing, it's still deeply engaging. The tension of the book in the second half turns from 'what is the secret?' to 'will they get away with it?' and that keeps you turning pages to the bitter end.

2.75 stars

Been on real losing streak with books lately. Tedious, boring, too many characters that aren't in anyway distinctive.