Five Little Words by Jackie Walsh

Slowly but steadily the author of this book presented a story that I was eventually captivated by. At first, I felt it was a bit plodding and perhaps wouldn’t go anywhere but as each short chapter ended, I became more invested in what would happen. There were unexpected twists and turns toward the end that threw the steady pace for a loop and had me thinking, “So THAT’S what happened.”

Both Laura and her husband Conor had secrets that would not be revealed till near the end. Their relationship had a “new” feel to it that showed up in their lack of open communication. In some ways I felt as if the story could have been set in perhaps the fifties due to the role Laura assumed throughout most of the book.

What I liked:
* That I didn’t know immediately the backstories of Laura and Conor
* That I was kept guessing and wondering where the story was taking me
* That the book was different
* Wondering about the pasts of Laura, Conor, and others in the story
* The way I cared more at the end of the book than I did in the beginning
* The way I was drawn in…slowly
* Conor’s regard for Laura
* Wondering about Laura and why she was as she was…was it just postpartum hormones or was there more to it all.
* When the secrets began to be revealed
* Being reminded that communication and trust with honesty are important in a strong relationship

What I didn’t like:
* Conor’s mother, Maggie, taking over without Conor standing up to her as he could have
* That Vicky lost her life – though finding out who killed her was an exercise worth reading about

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I read this for a blog tour.

Small towns hold lots of secrets and people with ulterior motives. Why was the dead woman so interested in Laura? Who thinks her husband's a killer?

Laura has just had a baby, and now she's plagued with fears about Conor, fending off her overbearing mother-in-law, and investigating a murder on the side.

Laura's life seems charmed but bubbling under the surface are some dark facts from her past and Conor's. They married four months after meeting and now they're parents. Can you really know someone that well in such a short time?

As Laura digs deeper into Vicky and her new family, things start to surface and her worries mount.

Clever, engaging and with a shocking end twist, this is a domestic thriller and a half.

Thank You Netgalley and Hera for giving me the ARC of this book!

Laura and Connor Caldwell welcomes their son Shay and bring him to their house. There were stacks of cards congratulating them for the birth of their son. But one card tells Laura that her husband, Connor is a murderer. That he murdered a girl named Vicky. Because of the night of Vicky's murder, the last person Vicky had sent a message was to Connor. Laura starts investigating on her own but as she digs deeper, some secrets are threatened to make their way...

This book is an OK thriller. The writing was good and the author did a good making the reader hooked into the story. The first bits of the story was a bit boring--but then gradually, there was a slow climax in the middle until towards the end. Overall, despite being a slow paced thriller, this was actually a good thriller. The story is based on Laura's perspectives and discovers her relationship with Connor, Amanda her sister and her mother-in-law, Maggie.

Overall this is a good thriller, worth three stars!

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot. I would highly recommend this book.

When new mother, Laura Caldwell, opens the card dropped through her letterbox, she expected to see a heartfelt note, congratulating her on the birth of baby Shay.

Instead, she sees a message that makes her blood run cold. 'Your husband is a murderer.' It couldn’t be true, could it? Not Conor, her adoring husband. He couldn’t be behind the brutal killing of local barmaid, Vicky. Not him.

But while Laura fights to discover the truth about her husband, she’s also holding dark secrets of her own; secrets she’s spent years trying to hide. Could the card be a desperate attempt at revenge – or could her husband really be a murderer? There’s a tangled web between this perfect couple – and the truth might just destroy them...

This was my first read by this author but what a thrilling read it was.
This book kept me reading through the night to find out who did it.
Will definitely read more by this author.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Five Little Words, however, I did find it a really entertaining read and I had no idea who was the good guy and who wasn’t. I definitely didn’t expect the ending.

Five Little Words is well written and keeps you wanting to continue to read.

Well done to Jackie for a successful story and can’t wait to read more from her.

his enthralling mystery/thriller is narrated entirely from the perspective of new mum Laura as she carried out the everyday tasks that are all part of taking care of a new born baby whilst struggling with the feelings of anxiety and paranoia that had been stirred up by the shocking revelation written within a congratulations card that had arrived in the post on the same day that she arrived home from the hospital with little baby Shay.She knows that there is no chance in hell that her loving husband Conor, the hero of Ballycall the small village where they live is a murderer. But once the tiny seed of doubt is planted, it swiftly takes root and spreads throughout her head,growing into blanket of suspicion and mistrust.After it comes apparent to Laura that Conor is keeping secrets from her and with a lot of encouragement from her sister Amanda, Laura starts her own investigation into the victim's murder. She hopes that she will be able to uncover the identity of the card sender and proof of Conor's innocence but all she uncovers is more secrets and lies. She also can't help feeling inadequate everytime she has a interaction with her overbearing mother in law Maggie and the fact that Conor's glamourous ex girlfriend still works with him at the brewery only added to her feelings of paranoia and insecurity. Add on top of all this the fact that Laura was harbouring a secret of her own and you can easily imagine how much of a hot mess her character was. As the story unfolded, I had mixed feelings about Laura but I couldn't help admiring her dedication to her husband and her determination to uncover the truth. The small village of Ballycall was a typical, quaint, chocolate box village who's residents were a mixed bag of realistic, vivid characters. It was the type of place where everyone knew everyone else's business, you couldn't burn your toast in the morning without the villagers knowing about it before you even had a chance to eat it or throw it into the bin. But who was the killer who was hiding in plain sight? Could it be Conor? His mother Maggie? His best friend, short tempered Noal? Conor's glamourous ex girlfriend? Or what about Pat, the mysterious man who lived on the grounds of Conor and Laura's house? There was numerous suspects but who was the killer and what was their motive?

This is a well written, enthralling thriller that has the theme of family as the heart of it's plot. The believable characters were the veins that pumped the blood into the heart of the story. The secrets and lies gradually unfurled,tumbled and fell like the leaves on the trees that grew at the bottom of Conor and Laura's garden. I thought this was a very enjoyable, gripping read that kept me guessing throughout. Very very highly recommended.

Five little words-Your husband is a murderer-send new mother Laura off. She has gotten too quickly into a relationship with a man she doesn't know very well so she doesn't know what she should believe. Or who. It seems this is getting to be a pretty common theme in books I have read a lot lately. The moral I guess is that young women are pretty dumb and they believe men to a point. Not enough to not think they could be dangerous...

This was another book in a long line of books of women making bad decisions and everyone around them carrying a bunch of secrets. Oh, she has some, too. And in a very unrealistic way the characters all talk around everything for a few hundred pages before everything starts to come out. I guess it was just a little less than average.

I couldn't read this. Laura annoyed me, as did Conor and his mother. Laura was hiding secrets but then expected truths from others. Conor had NO backbone and his mother interfered way too much and no-one stopped her.
I expected more from this book but knew immediately that I couldn't identify with the characters. Some people may be able to ignore it.

Oh dear. Laura has the perfect husband, the perfect baby, the perfect house and someone has the nerve to send a card saying her new man is a murderer. What to do? This is a fast read, with plenty of possible killers in her new life as the wife of a prominent business man,. With the help of her sister Amanda she is learning the secrets swirling under the towns facade, while trying to hold on to her own secrets. Jackie Walsh writes in handwringing ‘what do I do now way that is a hallmark of her novels.

Laura arrives home after having a baby and finds a card suggesting that her husband is responsible for the recent murder of a local woman. I started reading and realized early on that it wasn't for me. Did not finish.

Wow! This has been a book that I have not been able to put down. I have been completely gripped from the very beginning. This has been one of those books that leaves you desperate to know what is coming next and I haven't been disappointed.
I love the main character in this book, she comes across real and likeable from very early on. There is no way I guessed what was coming next in this book which added to the excitement of reading.
I love the cover of this book. It instantly arouses curiosity and makes you want to know what's going on. The plot definitely hasn't disappointed.
This is without a doubt a five star read for me! I have devoured the book in one sitting and been left wanting to read more by this author.

This was one of my fastest reads, with short chapters and straightforward plot line, author Jackie Walsh managed to capture my interest and keep it shooting onwards.

The book piqued my curiosity when a new mother Laura received a note of warning about her husband among the congratulations cards. That started her spiral to action where every scene was imbibed with the color of her suspicion. Not that she didn’t have skeletons in her closet. The author managed to tease me well with a line inserted in the prose wherein I too had doubts about the main character.

The chapters seemed to move like the flash of light, the characters were varied. I began to see them through Laura’s eyes, and I was sure they were all involved in something nefarious. I liked how I was thrown into the whole rigmarole of Laura’s suspicions. Then came my infamous niggles. More character development, sharper prose, a depth to the story with twists would have made my pulse skyrocket.

Overall, this was an interesting story where the book gave me a gossipy feel of a small town mystery. The final twist made it a fun read.

This was an ARC from NetGalley so shoutout to them for giving me an advanced copy for an honest review. In the spirit of being honest though, this one was disappointing. I liked the idea of the plot, but I didn't find it fast-paced nor a page-turner, which is what I expect from a psychological thriller. I wasn't hooked throughout the story. I just kept reading it because I was expecting that holy shit moment, and it never came. I found it a bit boring and repetitive. The character development was lacking, and the ending was poor and pretty rushed. I had a really tough time getting through the middle. None of the twists or revelations (except Vicky’s) were surprising and I found myself slim reading the last third of the book because it was just too much repetition and inner monologue. So a bit of a mixed bag.

Laura find a startling card in among others congratulating them on their new baby. The card reads " your husband is a murderer". Could this be true? is Conor responsible for a local girls death? Who sent the card? All the characters in the book have secrets. This will keep you guessing on who the real murderer is and who sent the ominous card.

Thanks to netgalley and Hera Books for the arc.

It's actually 4.5, but I'm willing to round it up to 5.0 because I think it's what it deserves. Five Little Words is my first read from Jackie Walsh, and I love it so much.

We're here to watch Laura Caldwell as she tried to find out what made someone accused her husband of murder. The writing is so straight-forward; it made me more comfortable to focus on the case. I love how the author dropped hints here and there, so the revelation didn't seem to come out of nowhere. This is a fast-paced story that'd instantly grab your attention from the start. And it's always consistent; there is almost no chapter that appeared boring for me. The book will keep you guessing until the very end.

The relationship between the characters is what I love the most, especially Laura and Conor, her husband. At first, she felt like an outsider in the town. Everyone knows everyone, and what made it worse is that everyone knows Conor better than she does. I love that they get to know each other after they had a baby. Now that'd seem weird for you, but actually, it works like a reminder for me of things I should ask the one I'm going to marry. Also, I adore the relationship between Conor, Laura, and Maggie, her mother-in-law.

This book is perfect for you if you love small-town murder with lots of secrets hidden and waiting to explode.

Thank you NetGalley and Hera Books for providing me the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Five Little Words is a quick and easy read. However, it had a lot of repetition and I guessed the killer early on. Also, why is it so difficult for people to just tell each other the truth? Oh, and why was Laura so uptight about being lied to when she was a big liar too? All in all, it’s a 3-star effort. I did like it, but I didn’t love it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

This is a story of secrets and lies spread across generations. It’s not a fast paced read, but a slow unraveling of revelations.

Laura newly married to the handsome, and wealthy Connor cannot believe her luck. But when a murder takes place in the small village she now calls home just as Laura and Connor should be at their happiest, with their new bundle of joy, Shay having been born, everything Laura had been so sure about suddenly becomes far less certain.

Is Connor really as wonderful as she believed, what secrets is he hiding, but Laura has secrets of her own and so it seems do others on both sides of the family.

Suddenly life becomes about who killed Vicky and whether Laura’s new husband is really a murderer.

With some clever twists and plenty of intriguing leads. Jackie Walsh guides you through a twisted wed of lies and secrets, with cleverly crafted characters and an impressive understanding of human nature and the ingrained need we all have to keep our past buried, sometimes even from those we love most, and how often, even the most cleverly hidden secrets have a way of finding the light.

And intriguing read that will keep you guessing from beginning to end and a must read for all lovers of psychological thrillers, family intrigue and the lies we try to keep.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jackie Walsh and her publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance, in return for an honest review.

“New mom Laura discovers an anonymous letter left in her letterbox warning her that her husband is a murderer after a local girl is killed in town. While fighting to discover the truth about Conor, she is also holding secrets of her own. Is the card an attempt at revenge for hiding her secrets in her new life or could her husband really be a killer?”
This book just wasn’t for me. I was not a fan of the writing style and the plot fell flat for me across the board. A large plot-point that was addressed on multiple occasions was unfinished and my questions ultimately went unanswered. I did enjoy the ending with the plot twists that were not necessarily predictable. The last chapter was particularly strong ending on a cliff hanger.
This book is for fans of domestic thrillers and authors such as Shari Lapena. Overall I gave it 2.5 stars.

Five Little Words
by Jackie Walsh
Hera Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 21 Oct 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Five Little Words through Hera Books and Netgalley:



When new Mother Laura Caldwell opens the card dropped through her letterbox, she thought she would find a note, congratulating her on her new baby Shay.






What she sees instead leaves her blood running cold. The card reads your husband is a murderer. Not Conor, her adoring husband. He couldn’t be behind the brutal killing of local barmaid, Vicky. Not him.






As Laura tries to unravel the truth about her husband, she’s also carrying dark secrets of her own secrets she’s spent years trying to hide. Could the card be a desperate attempt at revenge, could her husband really be a murderer? there is a tangled web of lies between this perfect couple, and if the truth comes out it just may destroy them.



I give Five Little Words five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!