Tell Me Your Secret by Dorothy Koomson
| Tell Me Your Secret by Dorothy Koomson | |
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| Category: Thrillers | |
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Reviewer: Karen Grace
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| Summary: A journalist survives a weekend with The Blindfolder, only for him to start killing his past victims ten years later. This psychological thriller had me totally gripped from start finish – gripped by the characters, gripped by plot, and gripped by the style of writing. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 480 | Date: June 2019 |
| Publisher: Headline Review | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1472260376 | |
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Despite Dorothy Koomson regularly being suggested as an author I might like, ie people who like this author also like Dorothy Koomson, I have never read her before. Having done so I can totally see why she's the bestselling author of fifteen books.
This book gets a big five out of five from me. Ten years ago journalist, Pieta Rawlings, survived being kidnapped and held captive over a weekend by a man calling himself 'The Blindfolder'. She never told anyone but when he starts hunting down and killing his past victims one by one, Pieta realises that to save the lives of herself and others she may have to speak up - but at what cost?
I was totally gripped from start to finish. I don't think I've ever read a book so fast (not even on holiday) - I literally couldn't put it down especially during the latter stages when everything was building to the big reveal. That said all psychological thrillers are pretty gripping by nature of their genre so what's so special about this one?
Number one: whilst there were a couple of little plot twists I guessed along the way, the big question of 'who dunnit' I just didn't see coming at all – the person who turned out to actually be 'The Blindfolder' was not even one of my suspects.
Number two: the characters. The chapters alternate between the two main characters; that of victim Pieta and that of Detective Inspector Jody Foster (spelt differently so get over it as Jody would and does say). The characters are all strong, complex, deep and likeable but also flawed, giving a really realistic insight into the human psyche. I admired Pieta, a quirky, strong independent woman surviving by shutting down and focusing solely on her young son. However, for me it was all about Jody - intelligent, driven, fearless but ultimately motivated by a darkness and overwhelming need to right the past.
Number three: the fast pace. By chapter two we already had a crime scene, murder victim, police investigation and serial killer. And, without exception each chapter delivered another clue/piece of evidence building intrigue relentlessly throughout. Every single word, sentence, paragraph was integral to the story; there were absolutely no frills or filler.
Number four: the investigation. With the storyline alternating between the characters, it also meant it alternated between the crime and the investigation. I loved the fascinating insight to police work - thought processes, attention to detail, dead ends, game-changers, mistakes, etc.
This book was so easy to read too. Each chapter was only a couple of pages which was another reason it was so compelling because it was all too easy to think just another chapter and suddenly three hours later you're still reading.
I could go on but I think you've probably got the picture - I loved this book. To be fair though, I was extremely disappointed by the ending which left one character's life hanging in the balance. I hate unfinished business, loose ends and not knowing if this person would survive or not slightly spoilt it for me. I'm also a bit of a lightweight when it comes to the grittier side of life and the psychology and motives of 'The Blindfolder' was, whilst totally realistic, a bit twisted for me. However, it was a very quick part of the overall story and not very graphic, so therefore it was totally manageable and didn't detract from my overall love of this book.
Finally, a big thank you to Bookbag for introducing me to another new author, and if gripping psychological thrillers are your thing, then other books I would also recommend are Can You Keep a Secret? by Karen Perry and The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware.
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