It was meant to be a game. At exclusive boarding school St. Michael's, Carrie and her friends are used to getting away with anything. Until one night, their recklessness goes too far. They swore to keep what happened a secret. They swore to protect each other. But sixteen years on, someone is about to break that promise.

This story has a dual timeline - 2003 is set at a boarding school in Edinburgh. 2019 is when Finn and Mhairi are reunited by the death of their close friend Kate. They are convinced there is more to her death, so they have a closer look into her past and unearth a secret that other people would have been happier if it had remained buried.

The suspense builds throughout. The story is told from multiple points of view. This is a cleverly crafted story that's chapters end on a cliffhanger, so you just have to keep reading. A story of secrets, lies and friendship. The pace is on the slow side. There are some good twists and red herrings. The two timelines eventually come together, the secret is finally revealed, all the loose ends are tied up.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #PhillipaEast for my ARC of #AGuiltySecret in exchange for an honest review.

#AGuiltySecret #NetGalley
Ok.
2003: Carrie and her friends spend their days studying at boarding school, and their nights sneaking out to the woods. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. They agree never to reveal the truth about what happened. But someone won’t keep that promise… 2019: Finn receives a shocking call from his ex-wife, Mhairi, informing him of their friend Kate’s death. The pair have a complicated past, but psychotherapist Kate was always the one who solved their problems, so neither is prepared for what they uncover. Kate had secrets, leading Finn and Mhairi to unearth a history that others would do anything to keep buried.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.

This book ranks among my favourites of the so-called ‘Scottish noir’ tranche of thrillers. One timeline features estranged couple Mhairi and Finn, who meet in 2019 to solve the mystery surrounding the alleged suicide of their friend Kate. Meanwhile, a second timeline features three teenage friends, Serena, Carrie and Mae, who are enrolled at an exclusive boarding school in the Highlands where thy study by day and engage in illicit dares by night. How are the two timelines connected? Philippa East does a wonderful job of driving the plot forward towards its breathtaking denouement. Definitely the novel to choose to while away chilly, long winter evenings! I wish to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC that I received that allowed me to read this thriller and to write this unbiased review.

This book involves dual timelines and the stories of what appears to be a disparate group of characters.

In 2003, in a boarding school in Scotland, the familiar trope of a group of friends bonding over shared guilt of some kind and swearing each other secrecy emerges.

In 2019, where the bulk of the story is set, an estranged couple named Mhairi and Finn meet after long time at the funeral of their friend Kate, a psychologist who has apparently died by suicide. Rattled by their encounter, they are both nevertheless convinced that there is more to the story, and decide to try and find out what that might be.

As this slow-burning novel unfolds through a series of twists and turns and false leads, the two stories begin to circle each other, coming closer with each turn, to dovetail into something quite unexpected.

Compelling and well-written, this is definitely worth checking out if you have the patience for a very gradual denouement. It gets 3.5 stars.

A very dark, twisty thriller which I couldn't put down. Red herrings and false trails I loved this one as much as her other book Safe and Sound. My thanks to. Net galley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A great story with two timelines, one in 2003 and the other in 2019.

Back in 2003, Serena, Mae and Carrie all attend a boarding school in Scotland. They like nothing better than to sneak out late at night, into the grounds and take drugs. They eventually bring in their friends, Victor and Alex, and we start to learn about that time in their lives.

In 2019, Mhairi phones her ex husband, Finn, to say that their best friend, Kate has died. Knowing there is more to Kate’s death, they embark on a mission to find out all they can, meaning they have to spend time together for the first time in years.

The story is a slow burner that has you guessing at what has gone on. What I really liked was that you didn’t get any answers until near the end.

It is a complex read that I found to be full of tension and suspense.

The characters were believable, I wasn’t a fan of Mae’s, I found her dislikable. I felt for Finn, I could feel his pain.

A tale of friendship, secrets and lies.

This is my first book by the author and it won’t be my last.

My thanks to HQ and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the book, it's quite a typical thriller, but done well. Tense, pacey, a quick easy read. Nothing too unique about it so that knocked a star off.

I realise I'm in the minority, but I couldn't get into this book, and then when I did start to follow the timelines it felt like a well worn trope: Something bad happens at a boarding school and everyone involved promises not to tell.
Finn, Mhaira and Kate were a welcome addition, and their relationships well written, but, for me, the two narratives didnt quite come together.
Thank you to netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of this book.

Ooft, and what a guilty secret it is!! This is a SPECTACULAR psychological thriller!

Lots of distinct story/time lines feature in this novel - there are Finn and Mhari, an estranged couple who are brought together following the tragic suicide of their psychologist friend, Kate. We gradually learn of the history of the couple in one timeline, while in another we learn of the couple's dogged determination to uncover the truth behind the suicide of their mutual friend.

In another timeline we learn of 5 friends, enjoying some unadulterated, and most definitely off-curricular, pleasure in their exclusive private school boarding education. Several further distinct timelines of these friends in the present day (some 16 years after their boarding school day, combine, and lately intersect, to tell the full story in this unputdownable thriller.

This is a truly genius work of fiction, great writing, plot and character development make this a truly remarkable read, and one I would 100% recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This is another excellent psychological thriller from Philippa East. I have read all of her books and I think I can say that this is the best yet.

The novel is split into differing timelines – three, plus a series of email and text exchanges over a long period - which took a bit of getting used to, even for a big fan of dual timeline books!

In 2003, we find Carrie starting a new school in Scotland and trying to fit in with her cohort. In 2019, divorced couple Mhairi and Finn are reeling from the death of their best friend, Kate, and from meeting one another for the first time in years at her funeral. Also in 2019, stuck-in-a-rut and in the grip of addiction, Victor receives an anonymous email telling him that his old school grounds are being reconstructed and, panicked, he reaches out to an old friend.

I genuinely had no clue where many of the twists and turns were going to head and what was going to be revealed, although it turns out I was at times more astute than one of the key characters!

The plot device of having two pairs of people, unconnected to one another, trying to find the same answers was particularly thrilling, almost akin to a ‘Da Vinci Code’ style novel. I enjoyed the sections involving Mae and Victor perhaps a little more than those with Mhairi and Finn, but perhaps that’s because it was more enjoyable to imagine the luxurious hotels and yachts on the Mediterranean than the East Coast mainline train between Peterborough and Edinburgh!

I could also easily picture the school setting and, to an extent, its grounds. It certainly felt like it was far away from almost everything, claustrophobic, and that with little else to do, secrets and games would abound.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of ‘A Guilty Secret’, on which this review is based.

Five friends swear a pact to never tell exactly what happened one evening in 2003. Sixteen years later someone has unearthed their secret and threatens to tell, but which of the friends is it?

A Guilty Secret by Philippa East is a tantalising read. There are a number of secrets buried within this story which are frequently hinted at, however, the author does an excellent job of not revealing them, keeping the reader hanging on until the very end.

We have a story told in two time frames. Opening in 2003 we meet a group of five friends, Mae, Serena, Victor, Alex and Carrie, all students at a boarding school in Scotland. From the outset, we know something terrible has happened as the group swears a pact to never tell. Throughout the book we return to 2003, discovering how the friendship group came about and the antics leading up to the fateful night.

The rest of the book is set in 2019, focusing on some of the friends discovering that their secret is going to be revealed and desperately trying to figure out who is responsible and track them down. While all of this is happening we are introduced to two new characters, Finn and Mhairi.

Finn and Mhairi are divorced and haven’t spoken for a number of years. It is the unexpected death of a friend in common that reconnects them. Neither can believe that their friend Kate would commit suicide. Being a therapist they always thought of Kate as strong, capable and stable. Disbelief and guilt cause them to dig into Kate’s recent past, trying to find out what caused her to take her own life.

As the two separate groups search for answers the storylines begin to entwine. The two threads circle around each other, frequently giving off hints as to what has happened, but everything is hazy, you can’t quite pin down exactly what has happened and how the two groups are connected.

The title really does spell out the theme of the whole novel; guilt. From the secret shared by the group of friends at the start, to the guilt between Finn and Mhairi. We learn how guilt has had a major impact on many of the life choices the group of friends have made. We also discover that both Finn and Mhairi feel guilty about the events which ended their marriage, alongside this is the guilt they both feel at the belief they ignored their friend when she really needed their support.

A gripping conclusion brings everyone together, revealing the events of 2003 and how they are connected to a tragic suicide in 2019.

This book was fulll of twists and turns which made me hooked! It was a very exciting and suspenseful read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy to read and review.

What can I say about this book? It was an unputdownable book!!! The story is told over two different timelines, 2003 & 2019, and through different characters. It begins with Finn and Mhairi meeting for the first time since their divorce for the loss of their friend, Dr Kate Fallon. They go on a rollercoaster whistle-stop trip to solve a mystery that Kate had started when she took on a client called Carrie G! They are led down through their adventures by following leads that ends up with an explosive finish at St Michael's in Scotland. The characters were well written and the locations were so descriptive. I will be recommending this book to my book friends.

So this was a very dark twisty read which had my heart racing throughout. This was my first read from this author and it did not disappoint kept be hooked from start to finish. I will definitely be recommending this thriller to everyone fantastic. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

4.5 rounded down

Finn and his ex-wife Mhairi are grieving the sudden and unexpected death of their friend, Kate. However, the foundations of their loss are firmly rooted in the past to school days at exclusive St Michaels, in the highlands of Scotland. Then, the recklessness of individuals leads to a bond of secrecy, which appears to be ready to shatter apart in the present day. The story is told in dual narratives (2019, 2003) by Finn, and two ex- students of St Michaels, which works well as the tangled web reveals itself piece by piece.

I love Philippa East’s books as she never fails to deliver intriguing, immersive psychological thrillers and she’s done it yet again in her latest novel which has made a vice like grip from the startling beginning through to the unexpected end. This is so well written as it becomes clear there are multiple layers to the storyline, as the past is on a collision course with the present. It’s an addictive read as the author has my mind racing at 100 miles an hour, trying to figure out the puzzle pieces, especially in the 2003 story line. There are some enticing cliffhangers at the end of several narratives which further adds to the intrigue.

The characterisation of all the key characters in 2019 and 2003 are extremely well done. They’re all complex and flawed
but feel real with Finn and Mhairi being especially relatable with their relationship a source of fascination. The vibes between the teens of 2003 and the “game playing” grows in intensity, and the strange, unsettling atmosphere of the school comes across strongly. Secrets and guilt infuses the plot heightened by a conspiracy of silence, which deeply affects and haunts lives and showing outward appearances can be very deceptive. It builds very well with elements of dark unpredictability, but which helps to explain so much. The ending is partly dramatic and partly laying of ghosts to rest and I like tone it finishes on.

Overall, this is another winner for me from this very talented author.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

An interesting take on a familiar trope, the trope being 'something bad happened at boarding school and we've made a pact never to tell', This is ideal for fans of the genre.
As well as discovering what happened via a flashback timeline, the reader also meets two unexpected present-day sleuths. Finn is contacted out of the blue by his ex-wife, Mhairi, who tells him their mutual friend, Kate, has committed suicide. As they attempt to unravel what led Kate to end her life, they relive the final traumatic months of their own marriage and also cross paths with a former pupil of the doomed boarding school.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

A remote Scottish boarding school, a dark and twisty tale full of secrets. Took me a little while to get into the story but well worth persevering. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A very dark read. So many secrets and twists that made the story great. A very good book that had me hooked till the end

Reading the anxiety-fuelled classic Safe And Sound a few years back made Philippa East a must read author for me. I've read all of her books and read each new one asap.

A Guilty Secret is a cracker. It's also rather unconventional as ex-husband and wife Finn and Mhairi are drawn together in grief and to investigate the sudden death of their old friend Kate. Mix in a remote Scottish boarding school where something happened in the past and you can start to see the potential.

Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, including Finn in 2019, one of the girls at the school in 2003 and that another of another ex-pupil in 2019, Philippa East expertly weaves an intricate and unpredictable plot. The characters are well crafted, the scenes are well-set and you are never left confused. It keeps you alert and thinking but never leaves you puzzled.

It gets dark, and rather anxious, there are secrets to reveal and truths to be told.

I've read plenty of 'old school friends, now adults, trying to keep the past hidden' thrillers and this is definitely one of the better ones. It's the way you tell 'em...

A Guilty Secret is very skilfully layered and structured and held me in rapt with tense curiosity from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ

This book starts out with Finn receiving a phone call from his ex wife, Mhairi. A friend of theirs,Kate, committed suicide. She wants Finn to come to the funeral. Neither one of them believe that Kate would kill herself. Finn and Mhairi find a note at Kate’s house with the name Carrie on it. This is where they start delving into things in the past.

The book also takes us back to boarding school where they all met. Group of girls start fairing and throwing up and the school cannot figure out why. This is all related to some sort of pill/drugs being supplied by a guy named Luke….almost to an evil level.

It’s obvious from the book description that something happened at the school and now years later this secret is going to be revealed. Finn and Mhairi connect with Kate’s friends from boarding school to figure out what happened. The book itself was ok. This plot is way overdone these days and obvious to me.