Written in first person present, which normally puts me off, this thriller managed to keep me engaged through to the end.
Small droplets of twists throughout will keep you guessing and the final one caught me by surprise. I didn't see that coming.
A good, solid, and interesting read consumed one rainy weekend and deemed excellent entertainment.
Still not sure why it is called 12 secrets though. May have to go back and count them.....

Twenty years ago, Ben’s older brother, Nick, and his friend were murdered by two schoolgirls, a crime which shook the nation. The girls were sent to prison, but have subsequently been released with new identities.
Ten years ago, Ben’s mother died, seemingly by committing suicide, but it is questionable if that was actually the case.
Now Ben's boss wants him to write a retrospective for the news site at which he works. He is undecided until a murder at the other end of the country makes him realise that there is a lot more to the stories of his brother and mother.
I was fully engaged in this book. It's a great psychological thriller, with plenty of twists and turns. There are a lot of characters so sometimes you need to pause and take stock of who's who.
I deducted a star for the ending. It was a little too Victorian-style melodrama for me, but otherwise an excellent debut.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Little Brown Book Group UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was attracted to the synopsis and reviews of Twelve Secrets - I love a small town thriller that connects past and present crimes. This started out well with a sympathetic and believable protagonist in Ben Harper. 20 years ago Ben's brother Nick and his best friend were murdered by two schoolmates, Ben is now a journalist and has lived with the grief of the death of his brother and the subsequent suicide of his mother. The past crimes are once again in the spotlight after the murder of one of the Nick's killers. This is a well written thriller and I enjoyed Gold's portrayal of Haddley, a suburb of London with a small town, community feeling. For me this was a promising read that covered multiple themes but there were too many interconnecting threads, characters and twists and this made it a messy and ultimately unsatisfying read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold is the best debut thriller I’ve read this year!

It starts out a little confusing with all the characters, and initially I had to turn back the pages a few times to clarify who was who. I also found the first half of the book a little slow going and I felt like I was being spoonfed the details. However, at around the halfway mark it suddenly shifted gear and I could not put it down.

There were multiple threads to follow with MANY twists and while I did guess a few, the major ones were a fantastic surprise. When you stop and gasp and have to reread the sentence – then you know you’ve got a good one!

The storyline is believable as are the characters and this makes it a brilliant story to get lost in. Character development was thorough, and I enjoyed getting to know the various personalities that made up the town. I’ve developed a relationship with Ben – crucial when this is the start of a series. I really do look forward to reading more about him.

If you’re looking for a great murder / mystery / psychological thriller, look no further!

#netgalley #twelvesecrets #robertgold #littlebrownbookgroup

I thought this was such a cleverly constructed thriller, with multiple threads and characters weaving in together, so that relationships were unexpected and the possibility of working out what had happened was slim to none - it definitely kept me guessing and turning the pages because of it.

I love an “old murder mystery hasn’t been fully solved” setup, and I loved that this was in London but not central London, so the location where everything happened had a village feel, and a real sense of community because of it.

The only thing I thought was a bit lacking was that there were so many characters, I wanted more of a grasp on some of them: it felt like there was a lot more for some of them to give - almost as if Ben, Dani and Madeleine are all set up to be in another book.

Disturbing, heartbreaking in places and with a lot of reveals I didn’t see coming, this was great.

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold is the first outing for Ben Harper, an investigative journalist with a difficult family history.

Twenty years previously, Ben’s older brother and his friend were murdered by two schoolgirls. The girls were convicted but have subsequently been released with new identities. In those intervening years, Ben’s mother has also died but it is questionable if it is all that it seems.

This is a fast paced thriller and for the first 80% I really enjoyed it, albeit had guessed most of the twists and turns. However, the plot of a little convoluted. Many of the characters (and there are a lot) sustain a secret which would suffice on its own for the plot of a decent thriller. The sum of the parts is therefore a little too far fetched. Overall an enjoyable 3*.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown for the ARC.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this. I’ve never heard of this author but he didn’t disappoint. A suspenseful thriller which I couldn’t put down. Give it a read. Highly recommended

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

A psychological thriller with a dozen interconnected characters. Nick and Simon were murdered by fellow two girls, 20 years ago. Ben and his mother tried their best to move on in their life, until after a few years Mother stepped in front of a train. Ben wants to forget everything but his boss doesn't want him to. Ben is an award winner crime journalist and his boss wants an article covering his tragic past.

There were so many characters that made it so hard to remember all of them immediately plus the story kept jumping from one to another. After halfway, I finally remembered them but I couldn't feel for any of them. They were so many for my taste and one dimensional too. It took me around 15 days to finish the book. There wasn't anything extraordinary about this plot. Police kept telling confidential information to a journalist and he kept telling it to everyone he knows, I mean WHY?. So many characters grossed me out. The pace was so slow and the plot felt boring to me.

When Little Brown Book Group UK and Sphere describe an upcoming release as “the most anticipated debut of 2022” you know you are in for a wild ride!

WHAT A DEBUT!!!

WHAT AN ENDING!!!

HELLO ROBERT GOLD!!!

All the stars for this clever and well thought out plot. Fast moving and full of character interaction. Plenty of surprises, perfectly timed reveals, and a fabulous twist at the end. Cannot wait to read more in the future.

5 Stars – Simply an outstanding read!

Publication Date: 3rd March 2022

Thank you to #NetGalley, #LittleBrownBookGroupUK, #Sphere and #RobertGold for an ARC of #TwelveSecrets in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant psychological suspense read. Primarily this follows Ben, a journalist, who is dealing with the upcoming 25th anniversary of his brother’s horrific death. His brother, and his best friend, were both murdered in cold-blood in the 1990s by two teenage girls. Then just ten years ago Ben’s mum killed herself. Now Ben has been asked to write an article as the remaining family member. But it’s not long until past secrets bubble up and Ben wonders whether there’s more to this story than he realised..,
This follows a cast of characters, who together form the full picture. This is set in a fictional town just beyond Wandsworth. It’s close to London, but it feels far away enough to be a village, too. It really has that small town vibe to it, I was hooked! Five stars from me.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Twelve Secrets, the first novel to feature London based journalist Ben Harper.

It is twenty years since Ben’s brother Nick was brutally murdered in a crime that shook the nation. It is ten years since his mother committed suicide and now his news site wants him to write a retrospective. He is in two minds until a murder makes him realise that there is more to the story than he first thought and that there are a lot of secrets hidden in his home town of Haddley.

Twelve Secrets has all the requisite twists and turns modern day thrillers require and it is well done in ratcheting up the tension as events escalate. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me so I appear to be in a minority and did not find it unputdownable or riveting.

The novel is told from multiple points of view with Ben’s first person narrative being the most prominent. How all these other people tie in to Ben’s investigation is not revealed until the second half of the novel and while some of it is guessable The reader is left ploughing through multiple characters’ stories for no immediately apparent reason. Who knew there was so much nastiness in a small town? This is on me as I like a point to what I’m reading or a timely reveal to whet my appetite. I have no interest in constant interactions with no real forward momentum. It is all saved for the final few chapters where the timely discovery of a clue leads to all the answers and I wasn’t overly impressed by them either. It’s fiction, so why was I expecting a spot of realism?

I didn’t find that I could identify with any of the characters. Ben is the standout in the decision making stakes, all the others seem to have brought trouble on themselves by their poor choices, but I found it difficult to understand the way he thinks and operates as he can appear clichéd at times as the grieving son and brother.

Twelve Secrets will appeal to many readers, just not me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I’ve heard many good things about Twelve Secrets, and this was truly an immersive psychological suspense read.
More than twenty years ago Ben’s older brother was murdered alongside his brother’s best friend by two vicious girls. Then ten years later Ben’s mum killed herself. Now more than nine years later the 25th anniversary of his brother’s death is coming up and Ben’s editor has asked him to cover the story. Ben is reluctant at first but then he finds out that one of the murderers who killed his brother, and already been rehabilitated has been killed. Long buried secrets threaten to surface...
This was a captivating read. Honestly I found the characters engaging, and the plot plausible and compelling. An absolutely brilliant read.

OMG, what an addictive read Twelve Secrets turned out to be. This book isn’t due out until next year, but it’s one I would highly recommend you to add to your wish list right now. Robert Gold has created a story that has more twists and turns than the proverbial roller coaster. Told from multiple POV it’s nigh on impossible to second guess how the characters are connected, but it certainly keeps those brain cells ticking over!

Two classmates murdered Ben Harper’s older brother Nick. Twenty years on, Ben is a crime journalist and happily settled back in his hometown Haddley, But a recent murder shines new light on his brother’s death and throws suspicion on those closest to him. Ben discovers Haddley is a town full of secrets. No-one is as they seem, and everyone has something to hide. As the plot progresses, the secrets of Haddley residents are slowly but deftly revealed. Some are more shocking than others, but it makes for an exciting read.

The characters are a fascinating bunch, some more likeable than others, but they all have something to hide, which adds to the tension tenfold. Books that I’m unable to unravel the mystery are a rare breed, and yet the author kept me guessing almost to the end, with well plotted red herrings and characters that mislead you at every well thought out turn. A real page turner that made for an exciting, binge worthy read. Highly recommended.

What a read!!! I was kindly gifted an early e-copy in return of an honest review. I loved this! The cover immediately caught my attention & I couldn’t put it down! I would certainly recommend.

A really addictive psychological thriller that holds the attention throughout and has some excellent characters.

A journalist looks into his tragic family past and starts to uncover hidden secrets surrounding the murder of his brother years earlier.

Really well written and plotted Twelve Secrets has plenty of twists and a good sense of the unexpected. Not easily predictable and with some intriguing central themes it is a classic page turner, both entertaining and emotional.

Really enjoyed it. Recommended.

When Ben Harper was eight his fourteen year old brother Nick and Simon, his best friend, were brutally murdered in the woods near their homes in Haddley, a fictional small town on the SW edge of London. Ben had found the bodies after he saw the boys sneaking off with two local fourteen year old girls and followed them. The girls were jailed and Ben and his mother, with the help of the local community, carry on with their lives despite the horror. Even when the girls, now women, were released into the community with new identities, Ben and his mother weathered the further heartache and carried on with their work and home lives. At least that was what everyone, including Ben, believed until she committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.
Now, ten years after that event, Ben is an investigative reporter for an on-line news agency and is asked by his boss, Madelaine, to write an article based on the ramifications of the suicide. He refuses, but circumstances affecting the released prisoners and a possible association with his mother force him to start reopening the memories kept by members of the community. That community forms the background, and indeed backbone, of the book. Is anyone, even friends and neighbours he has known all his life, who they seem? What are the connections with the inter-school rugby final that Nick’s team had won shortly before the murders? Are the family from the big house quite as aloof from the town as they appear? Where are the girls now? The questions pile up and the secrets start to explode.
The story is very well written and constructed from two viewpoints, Ben’s, told in the first person and providing the narrative timetable and most of the historical details, and the omniscient viewer’s, told in third person, of course, and providing information about the other characters, their histories and interactions. This is a lot of information – the book is over 400 pages and almost every page provides an item contributing to the complexity of the plot and the crossing timeframes – so the reader needs to be on top of their game. I thought at various points that I’d solved the mysteries, but I didn’t fully get them all until almost the end (and even then there was a solution to a minor mystery than I hadn’t really noted was a mystery). Books this good are very rare.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

If i had to select say 5 books that people must read next year then this would definitely be on the list!! Its so cleverly written and captivating and it genuinely is one of the few stories that you won't be able to put down and will have you guessing til the end. This book will take over all your free time and you will be gutted when it's ends and wish you could reread it all over again for the 1st time. Very rare for a book to have so many positive qualities going for it. This is what every other thriller aspires to be

OMG! Thank you so much to the publishers for me granting my wish and allowing me access to this read. I was hooked seeing the rave reviews, and glad to say this did not disappoint. I’ve been in a bit of reading slump and this was the perfect pick-up I needed. An absolute five star read.
This is a multi-cast narrative with lots of POVs. We follow a host of characters, but the central figure is Ben. Ben is a journalist, and it’s the 25th (I think) anniversary of the horrific death of his brother and his brother’s BFF. 25 years ago, when Ben was eight, his 15-year old brother was brutally murdered alongside his BFF in the woods. Ben was one of the eye witnesses. He saw his brother following two teenage girls into the woods. The girls were arrested shortly and sent to prison. Then 12 years later, when Ben was 20-years old, his mother killed herself. Poor Ben has been through a lot to say the least. His editor wants him to write an article for the anniversary. Ben is reluctant. Then shortly, the police turn up at his door...His brothers’ killers were set free with new names after serving eight years. And one of them is dead...
I was absolutely hooked! I could NOT put this down. It is a bit confusing at first, with lots of characters. It’s like Lisa Jewell style. You have all these characters, and you wonder how these narratives will come forward. But they do at the end. I thought the characters were fleshed out and so interesting, especially Corinne. A stellar psychological thriller about a small town in South London and the effects of a murder decades later and long kept secrets.

Very enjoyable and engrossing thriller, the author does a marvellous job at engaging the reader and drawing them in. the story develops in a compelling way, revelations keep you hooked all the way though and emotionally invest you as a reader. Really enjoyed this, thank you.

I loved this and eagerly await his next book. I couldn't put it down, found myself completely invested in what happened to the characters and definitely didn't expect the denouement. A recommended read!