The narration has good pace and flow,and the narrators voices seemed right for the characters they were portraying. I listened to this as an audio book and felt the narrators really helped bring the story to life. The narrator narrated the book beautifully, and I loved the depictions of the different characters.

This is an enjoyable domestic thriller, but I found that I was unable to really relate to any of the characters. However, I liked the story, and it kept me engrossed. The narrator of the book was very good, and she did a good job at portraying the voices of Niamh, the daughter, Elise, the Mum and Jo, the policewoman investigating the case of Niamh's friend Holly going missing. Overall, it is a good read, and I found it interesting because there were a lot of secrets in the community, and I kept wanting to read further into the book, so that I could find out what all the secrets were. Just to be aware, there are references to child abuse and domestic violence in the book, which were not pleasant to read about, but they were a big part of the story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What secrets does the village of Abingworth hold? In this story we meet Niamh, a 14 year old girl who’s best friend Holly has been keeping secrets and has now disappeared. Elise, Niamh’s mum, who is keeping secrets of her own and then Jo, the detective sent to find missing Holly. Told from all 3 prospectives we learn a little about what led to Holly becoming more and more secretive before she finally disappeared. We learn more about Elise and her family and the progress Jo and her team are making in their search.
The plot line touches on several trigger points so be prepared for a child porn ring, abusive and coercive relationships, death of a child and suicide. All of which are briefly touched on but done so in a sensitive manner.
I was initially drawn into this and suspected everyone, however at times I felt it was a little slow and dragged.
I had the audiobook and the Ebook and found that having the audiobook helped to discern the difference between the characters as they were read by different narrators and did feel that if I had read alone they might have blurred together as when I did read chapters they were very ‘samey’
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title

This blurb sounded like a tense psychological thriller and it does live up to that. Its told from several perspectives which is always a plus as it adds many elements to a story. I love when you start a book and your immersed immediately which is exactly what happened here but after the initial scene setting it felt like the foot was taken off the throttle and it lost its way. There are a few themes running with some being quite interesting so was interested to see how they played out. I found there was some very likeable characters and others not so much. I really liked the character of detective Jo May and how her part in the storyline was played out. Really liked the narration as all the voices definitely kept your attention. I did enjoy this listen but would have liked the pace to continue as it started.

3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that is due to be published on the 6th of Jan.

**Listened to the audio book, and read along with the electronic copy too**

This book was certainly page-turning. I found myself engrossed in the plot from the very beginning, it didn't take long to feel immersed.
Howells writing was incredibly visual, and while reading/listening I felt like I could see the story being played out in front of my eyes, it was really easy to visualise it all. It made me think it would make an excellent TV series.
There were a lot of characters in this book, and usually it is something that I struggle with. However, the characters were all so very different and the narrator portrayed all of the characters so well that I didn't feel lost or overwhelmed at any point.

There was times when the pacing slowed down a bit, and I was just waiting for the next 'bombshell' to take place. However, for the most part it was pretty full on the entire way through.

I thought the audiobook narrator was brilliant, and was great at portraying all of the different characters.

Overall this was a great thriller, and I enjoyed it. It is not a book that will stay with me, but I did enjoy the reading/listening experience.

I listened to this book in the run up to Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was more tangled than a ball of Christmas tree lights, with twists and turns aplenty! All of the characters have secrets to hide and I wasn't sure who to believe right up until the shocking end. The story does include domestic violence and although there were no graphic scenes this could be a trigger to some people. The book is about control, power and exploitation, how we don't know what's going on behind closed doors but also about small village life. It is a well written and entertaining story, the characters are well developed and the story is believable. It is fast paced and never dragged. I enjoyed the points of view from the different characters and this was narrated by 3 different people so it never got confusing. A solid 5 stars and I look forward to reading this authors work in the future.

I wasn’t blown away by the book but neither did I want to leave it unfinished. The characters were a bit dramatic and the “perfect” village setting open to the tragedy that befell it. Some will love listening but just not me.

The Secret is a complex and totally satisfying domestic thriller. Debbie Howells creates an overwhelming sense of small community claustrophobia where everyone, it seems, has something to hide. The much revered GP has a public and private face. His wife is conflicted and living a deceit. Their daughter is withdrawn and that’s all for starters. Add an investigation into a paedophile ring (very much a sub plot and secondary to the main themes explored)and populate with a varied cast of characters and the whole is an exciting psychological thriller.

I was pulled straight in to the story and there are so many twists, with a final cracker that pulled everything together. Debbie Howells explores domestic violence and coercive control very well, along with betrayal and small village whispers where everyone knows something about others. The lead police officer is an interesting character with a backstory that influences her approach. I polished off the entire audio version in a couple of evenings. It’s well narrated throughout and this is a first rate thriller.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

The Secret by Debbie Howells

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

‘Everyone has secrets. And now, one of mine is yours…’

As the only two teenagers in a small village, Hollie and Niamh tell each other everything. Behind Abingworth’s closed doors, every family has its secrets – and theirs might hide the worst ones of all.

One day Hollie tells Niamh about a devastating discovery, swears her to secrecy … then vanishes. All the villagers claim to know nothing. Until Hollie’s body is found, and the police know one of their number isn’t just a liar, but a killer…

This is a tense psychological thriller that will hold your attention. A fast-paced thrilling read with many twists. Everyone has a secret that they don't want to reveal but one of them might hold the information that the police are needing for their investigation. There are some tough topics discussed in this book but they are all covered tastefully.

I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers. Howells has managed to write a variety of characters - some of these you will love and others you will loathe.

Rating: 4/5

The Secret is a psychological thriller set in a small village where the residents’ true colours are revealed following the death of a teenager. Many of the villagers have secrets to hide and the impression they give to the outside world is not who they really are.
I found this book to be quite slow paced and full of quite unlikeable characters who I found incredibly frustrating. I struggled to have any sympathy for many of them, or to relate to them at all.

Quite a slow moving story with lots of detail,, but well written and planned so it flowed well and was interesting enough to want to know what happened next. Not the most believable of characters and rather bland, but still an enjoyable book overall.

First I have to thank Harper Colins Audio and Netgalley.com for this opportunity.

I have some difficulties at the begging but not so much to let it go. It become gripping and addicting. Missing children, abuse, really not nice themes but explained well. I am really sensitive to the books where children are involved.

I will definetly read more about this author.