Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

In Terry Lynn Thomas's The Family Secret, England's fate rests in the hands of two people: Thomas Charles, a cryptographer on a mission, and Cat Carlisle, a former detective. Set in 1940, the novel centers around Thomas and Cat's quest to find the killer of Thomas's mentor, the victim's niece, and expose a scheme of Nazi deception.

The story is fast-paced and action-packed, while Thomas and Cat's burgeoning romance serves to elevate the suspense and tension. It also effectively explores the immense weight of loyalty, sacrifice, and tragedy that exists within every family. In the end, Thomas and Cat are triumphant as they unravel the murder, unveiling a dangerous enemy lurking beneath the surface. The Family Secret is a powerful, evocative tale that speaks to our times and shows us that, with determination and courage, justice will ultimately prevail.

The Family Secret by Terry Lynn Thomas

This is the second book in the Cat Carlisle series. In this book Cat and Annie are whisked away from London by Thomas Charles to her home town in Rivenby. The bombs are falling near London in this WW2 historical fiction book. Everything is not a good as it should be after there arrival home a murder happens to take place. Cat is thrown into a murder investigation to find the truth out.

This story was different for me as far as time period and it made for a good setting that enhances the plot. The family secret was very entertaining to read it could be read as a standalone because the author does a good job giving in backstory so the reader can catch up and figure out what is going on.

It is nice to see each character has its own backstory history. There is enough history in this historical fiction book as well as mystery, intrigue to keep the reader engaged throughout the story. I plan on reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wish I had the first book.
The Family Secret by Terry Lynn Thomas is Historical Fiction full of mystery, suspense and thrills. Everyone has secrets to keep. This book is full of action, twists and turns. on every page. I felt a little lost at times with all the characters, but perhaps that is just me. The characters seemed very realistic in their time period. I found this book entertaining and well worth reading.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley.. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.

This was #2 in a series, but it wasn’t hard to follow without having read the first book. The main characters have a history, but it’s explained, and it didn’t bother me.

What did bother me was that there wasn’t a single character in this book that I liked, and probably the title character the least of all. Maybe because I didn’t read the first book, but Cat sticks her nose in everywhere with complete disregard for everyone and everything else and expects everyone to bow to her whims, yet if someone looks at her sideways, watch out. I thought the author was male the way the female characters were written. Bitchy, but not in a good way. Like I said, completely unlikeable.

My other issue was the pace of this book.was.so.incredibly.slow. I swear nothing happened until the half way point. I kept wondering when the story was going to start. The author kept introducing characters, but no plot line.

So, thank you to NetGalley for an ARC, but I will not be putting this author on any future reading lists.

Unfortunately the copy I got seems blurry. I did email about this but have not heard back. I will buy a copy as I enjoyed this first book and look forward to reading more by in this series. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion

I had no idea this was the second book in a series when I started it but that didn't end up mattering because I was so drawn into the characters and the story. The backdrop is WWII but the main plot is a murder mystery the main character, Cat Carlisle, must solve. She is immensely likable and the book is fast-paced and keeps you on your toes. I'm going to go back and read the first in the series and look forward to more in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ digital for an ebook to review.

I didn't realise this is the second book in a series but I didn't feel I had missed vital parts of plot, as it was summed up enough to follow. It was a light, easy read and I was easily transported back to the 1940s. Great characters and an interesting plot.

I couldn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to because I haven't read the first book of this series. But overall it wasn't a bad book.

This is the second book in a series which i was not aware of. Not too difficult to catch along with what had previously happened but it probably would pay to read the first one! I dont normally go for books set so far back in time (this is 1940's) but I did enjoy this one!

I was given a copy of The Family Secret by Terry Lyn Thomas by The publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have read other books by the same author. This book is second the series but I haven't read the first one but this didn't spoil the story. There were same updates in the book about what had previously happened. This book was based mainly around Carona and Cat. Cat has gone with Thomas to the country to get away from London duringbthe war. Carona is trying to get away from her parents, her mother rules her. When there is a murder in the village Cat bègins to investigate. I enjoyed this book, I always find Terrys books well paced.

This second installment in the series is an easy read following on with Cat Carlisle as she moves back to her hometown and gets swept up in another mystery to be solved. An easy read but not a gripping plot. Many thanks to Netgalley and HQ digital for the ARC

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I did not realize that this was a second book in a series when I received a review copy of The Family Secret. A mystery set in 1940. The main character moves back to a small town in rural England to be near Thomas who is recovering from a war injury and is going to write about historical places and he wants her to take pictures. She also wants to help a childhood friend, Beth who is a suspect in a murder case. This book has the feel of a Masterpiece Theater episode. Loved this book! My thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to a future book in this series.

he Family Secret
by Terry Lynn Thomas

HQ Digital

Historical Fiction , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 01 Mar 2019


I am reviewing a copy of The Family Secret through HQ Digital and Netgalley:





This book will transport you to 1940’s England.




Thomas Charles comes back into Cat Carlisle’s life suggesting she leave London after a sudden unexplained disappearance drives Thomas back into Cat’s life. With the threat of air raids and bombs he suggests she move out of London and back to the village she grew up in, in Cumberland.


When Cat gets back to her hometown she discovers that her childhood friend Beth Hargreaves, is suspected of murder. As Cat does her best to prove Beth’s innocence, she discovers a scheme of deception that affects the whole village. Can she uncover the family truths behind the murder and expose the enemy hiding in plain sight?


If you are looking for a book that mixes history and suspense in a book that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last I recommend The Family Secret!


Five out of five Stars!


Happy Reading!

I didn’t realise this was the second book in a series, but by then I was gripped by this story and found myself catching up as I went along.

Thomas Charles is back after some time away, he had been in hospital after being shot and the wound became infected. Now he is back trying to persuade Cat to move with him to Cumbria, her childhood home where he is going to write about historical places and he wants her to help by taking the pictures for his book.

Cat’s childhood friend has been accused of murder, she persuades Cat to investigate not realising that, is the reason why Thomas bought them there.

Loved this 1940’s whodunnit, I felt like Agatha Christie trying to piece together who had the motive. There are plenty of red herrings and family secrets that will keep you guessing till the end!!

Will definitely be looking out for the next book in this series, the characters come to life and I am looking forward to seeing what investigations Thomas and Cat will find themselves in.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

The wonderful author saw my review of The Silent Woman on Instagram and sent me a finished ebook of The Family Secret to read via NetGalley.

This book was everything that I expected it to be!
Cat has an insatiable hunger and curiosity where mysterious deaths and going on’s are concerned, as well as a generous and helpful nature.
She really struggles to let herself fall in love with Thomas as her previous relationship was a bit of a disaster. Hopefully, by the next book, they will be getting married

I loved the mystery and small-town war-time vibe of the book.
The pacing and plotting were perfect, never a dull moment, each chapter went deeper into the mystery.

We were also introduced to two lovely strong female characters- Carmona and Edyth.
Edyth suspects that Carmona’s father has been embezzling money from her dead father's estate. And Carmona sets out to prove her wrong only to become suspicious of her father. The resulting mystery brings real character development and plenty of shocking revelation for the two girls and Cat.

I was hoping to see Annie’s character grow into herself a bit more in this book. She is present at the start but throughout is only briefly mentioned. I’m excited to see what Thomas will do with her character development.

This book is a page turner that had me sucked in from the very beginning and kept me engaged the entire time.
4.5 stars. Such an enjoyable series, looking forward to the next book.

*YouTube review at 6:05 in video

Overall I enjoyed this book, it kept me engaged, the story and the characters were great. The mystery itself left a little to be desired as it didn’t really feel like there was much in the way or stakes.

Though this was told in the third person, I still felt like in some ways there was to many points ov view. I would have preferred that this be told from Cat’s perspective. Because it was told in the third person, there seemed to be too many main characters, many of these characters were not all that important so it did seem silly to spend time on them in this way.

This book is part of a series, and while I have not read the first book, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The only thing I felt like I may have missed was the background to Cat and Thomas’s relationship, though that was filled enough for me to understand.

All in all this is an entertaining historical mystery.

The Family Secret is the second installment in the Cat Carlisle series following Cat and Thomas. I haven’t read the first book and I feel like this can be read as a standalone. However, I would very much like to read the first novel.

The twists and turns in this novel are fantastic. I was surprised at every corner and that is what makes a great mystery. Terry Lynn Thomas knows how to write a compelling mystery for sure.

I enjoy the POV switches from character to character because it keeps the mystery going. You get an incomplete view of what’s going on, which is important to keep you guessing.

I really enjoyed The Family Secret. With themes of war, growing up, love, greed, betrayal and family, this book has a lot going on. It’s fast-paced and I read it in one sitting. I recommend this one!

THE FAMILY SECRET by Terry Lynn Thomas was an engaging and very compelling novel.

This was the second book in a series however, I had no problems reading this book independently as the relevant backstory was deftly woven throughout by the author. The setting, the pacing and the plot were all excellently done. The aspect of the book that really stood out for me was the characters' personalities. All of the characters had their own pasts that I was fully invested in from the beginning. With plenty of lies, mystery and duplicity, there was always a lot going on in this fascinating and gripping read.

THE FAMILY SECRET by Terry Lynn Thomas was a great work of captivating and absorbing historical fiction and I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.