Review for This Secret Thing by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

 

This Secret Thing by  Marybeth Mayhew Whalen 

publication: October 1st 2020 by Lake Union Publishing

Out of love. Out of protection. Out of fear. Everyone has a reason to lie.

Everyone in Raleigh, North Carolina, is talking about Norah Ramsey, the single mother accused of being a suburban madam. But Norah’s not the only one keeping secrets.

After her mother’s arrest, Norah’s teenage daughter, Violet, is devastated and alone. She has no one to turn to until her grandmother Polly arrives. Polly, long estranged from Norah, is running from her own troubles. Down the street, Bess, once Norah’s best friend, desperately tries to hide secrets while Casey, Bess’s daughter, flees college after a traumatic event, only to find that home isn’t the safe haven she expected. And Nico, the detective who has doggedly pursued Norah Ramsey in hopes that she will lead him to his missing brother, is drawn further into these women’s lives while facing his own domestic disturbance.

Scandal has brought each of them to a crossroads. Now, as they delve into Norah’s secrets, they must come to terms with secrets of their own—ones that still have the power to hurt or to heal.

 

My Thoughts…

Norah is a madam, runs a prostitute ring.   When she is arrested all I could think is what would happen to Violet?  For being a teenager, she seemed to take it all in stride and knew that her mother loved her and would be back for her.  Bess, Norah’s ex best friend, takes Violet in until Bess’ daughter throws a fit and Violet must leave.  Polly, her grandmother, enters her life to stay with her while her mother’s arrest is worked out and she brings a calm to Violets life until her husband shows.   Add in Nico, the police officer, who is just looking for answers to what happen to his brother.  

 

This Secret Thing was a different type of story.   The story grabbed my attention initially because I have read Marybeth Mayhew Whalen and loved her other books.   But this book almost had me putting it down.   There were many characters introduced right from the beginning and I was worried that it would be hard to keep them straight.  I was wrong.   It was easy to keep the characters straight and as I continued to read, I was intrigued at how their stories would all come together.

 

I enjoyed the twists and turns.  There were many that I saw coming and quite a few that I was shocked by.   The final twists, the end of the story pulled it together and had my wondering how I had missed it. 

**Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Meet the Author

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of Only Ever Her, When We Were Worthy, The Things We Wish Were True, and five previous novels. She enjoys speaking to women’s groups around the US, sharing how the power of story informs our own lives. Marybeth and her husband, Curt, have been married for a very long time and are the parents of six children, ranging from elementary age to young adult. Marybeth divides her time between the shores of Sunset Beach and the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. She is always at work on her next novel.