This is the second book in this series and WOW another great book! I love Margot and her very different relationship with Ed her serial killer father. This book has multiple storylines going which I love because it keeps you reading. Hoping in the next book the author puts Ed in the touches more on Ed and we find out how he was found out to be a serial killer. Definitely a book worth reading!

Her Father’s Secret by Kate Wiley is so good! I cannot wait for more in this series. It will be engrossing to see where the relationship between Margot and her father, Ed, will lead.

I love Margot as a character. She is vulnerable but also so strong and determined. Her comments, such as her always assuming that other drivers will make illegal moves, make me laugh. I also like her relationship with Wes.

Detective Margot Phalen has spent years running from her father’s shadow and the awful truth of her own past as the daughter of a serial killer. She receives another message from him that he's willing to share his darkest secret, but only with her.

Now, as she sits across from the empty chair waiting for Ed Finch to be led in, Margot closes her eyes and steels herself for what lies ahead. The key to solving one of California’s most infamous missing persons cases is here, in the one place she fears most: her father’s cell.

Her Father's Secret is a very good thriller and police procedural. The story is well-paced, the writing is solid, and the characters are well-developed and believable. I am hooked on this series. I enjoy the author's writing style, it flows nicely and engages the reader.

I would recommend this book and this series.

#HerFathersSecret #NetGalley @Stormbooks_co

I've often found a Book 2 to be a 4 star read but not a 5 star like its predecessor. But not on this occasion. Kate Wiley is a talented author who manages to weave an intriguing plot as well as creating characters who are intrinsically flawed yet fascinating. This novel is compelling and addictive and I get the feeling that future volumes in the series will be just as brilliant. As with the first book, there is more than one crime to be solved, the main characters are bouncing off each other without messing up the colleague relationship (yet leaving the reader eager for more) and there is the hint of future crimes to be solved.

I received this arc from netgalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Storm Publishing this is the second book by this author that i have read and like the first one i could not put it down. I was totally gripped from beginning to the end. I would def recommend to others. What a ride !!!!

Are you kidding me!? What a great book!!! I couldn’t put it down! I cannot imagine being a detective and having the secret of a serial killer for a father. Let alone one that wants to keep you in this weird “relationship” Detective Margot is such a badass! Also I’m hoping that her and Wes get together!! I love that she has someone that makes her feel safe!

First I want to give my thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Kate Wiley for allowing me to read this ARC!

So here is another book from Detective Margot Phalen series. Unlike the first book, I find this book a little bit slow and lacking the "Ed Chapters" or his POVs. Like I said in the first book Ed chapters are cringey but I think the readers needed those kind of chapters. Though it maybe a slow-paced in the beginning, I really find the ending chapters so thrilling! I really like how Margot and Wes put it all together.

I would love to read more of Margot's conservation during therapy especially the early years - just to see how being so "damage" made her so strong she doesn't even know it.

More of David probably?

More of Wes and Margot unlike the first book - I could feel the tension between them.

And finally the Mauir Woods Murders - I thought it will be solved by now. I guess the author would likely make another serial killer similar to Ed?

All in all I like it and I would love to read the third book :)

I also like the notes the author gave towards the end <3

Wow what a great read . I can't wait for the next book this series of books could be made into a Netflix series they are that good . Highly recommend this author . Brilliant

This author is an absolute genius with suspense thriller type stories! I’m already getting ready for the next one!! Thank you NetGalley for this great opportunity and finding another great author!!

A return to the story of Margot Phalen. It can be read as a standalone but it does follow the first novel about Margot and her father Ed Finch. There are so many twists and turns it really keeps you on the edge. A great, thrilling story.

I could not put this book down! Right from the first page I was pulled into Margot's story. I had to keep reading to find out more and more about Ed Finch's Crimes. I loved the multiple POv's, especially because one of them was from a serial killers perspective. Ed wants to share his secrets, but only with Margot.

This is a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. I couldn't put it down because I had to know how Margot was going to solve the crimes she was investigating. At times Margot was unlikable in the choices she made but overall I loved her! She is a strong detective that is trying to get past what she went through when she was a teenager. I can't wait to read more about Margot!

I was unaware that this was the second book to this series, but I didn’t feel as though I was lost picking it up as a stand alone to read.

I felt like the pacing was perfect, it was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. Like most police officers, the MFC had multiple cases open while also helping the FBI with a case that was all to close to home for her.

I thought that the FMC was a badass. She was a good cop, did her job to the best of her ability but also spoke her mind. I liked the banter between her and her partner. There was a bit of sexual tension but it was acted on in the book, which I appreciated.

I think this is a fun series that I look forward to reading more of. The book ended on a cliffhanger, which isn’t always my favorite, but in this case, it keeps me excited for watch comes next for Margot and her dear old dad.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me early access to this book. This review is my honest thoughts.

After reading the first book in the series I could not wait to read the next. While I did enjoy this book I wished it had more to do with Ed Finch. Maybe more cases could have been solved. Throwing Margot's life into more chaos.

Margot Phelan is San Francisco Police Detective who is trying to move on with her life, one thing that is hard for Margot. With her father Ed Finch in prison because he is a serial killer, Margot cannot get far enough away from him. With a telephone call from his lawyer Ed Finch wants a conversation with is daughter. Maybe to torment her or tell her where the bodies are hidden. Guilt ridden because he is her father, Margot agrees to meet with him. Back and forth they go, with Ed thinking Margot and the FBI will do anything for him so they can close another cold case. While this is happening Margot has two other cases she is dealing with. A sniper is killing people at random. Since this is close to the Christmas holiday there is extra care taken with this case. Then a women was found dead with her face beaten so badly that more stress was added to Margot. On top of all of this she must keep meeting with her therapist so she can stay on the job. What is a girl to do?

I really like the character of Margot/Meghan. She has come so long in trying to get her life on track since her fathers crimes, her mother's suicide and her brother's total breakdown. She is strong in many ways and also someone who needs a lot of TLC. Her job is everything to her and doesn't know who she is without it. The cat and mouse game her father plays with her weighs on her. How can she not help these families of the women he killed find closure. Yet the sight of Ed makes her sick.

As I said before I wanted Ed and his crimes to be center stage. Throwing in the sniper and the hooker's murder made me a bit confused. Yet it still kept me wanting more and I kept reading. I kept asking will there be more from Ed, and will Margot keep going to see him and help the FBI?

This was a quick read that made me want more. I am very happy to know there will be a third book in the series. With the ending the way it was I am glad to know more questions will be answered. So thank you Kate Wiley for a well written and suspenseful book. Great characters and interesting topics. Will Wes Margot's work partner become more to her? Can she keep helping the FBI which means seeing Ed more? Thank you NetGalley and Storm for the ARC. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Margot is back and in a bind, having to talk to her father to assist the FBI. Also investigating the murder of a prostitue. Soon the city is under fire from a sniper and she is at the thick of it. Emotionally wrought and physically exhausted can she keep it all up to close the cases piling up. I went straight into this after the first one and I’m glad I did as the characters were fresh and new in my mind. I really enjoyed this and I look forward to reading more in this series. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley @sierradeanauthor and @stormbooks_co for allowing me to read this arc! I enjoyed every moment of it.

~ His willing to talk… But only to her.

This book had so many twists and turns that caught me off guard. Every page of this book my hands were clenching the pages just dying to know how it was going to end.

Firstly, I would like to prefaces and say that this book is apart of a series, and while it is the first book I personally read it is the second book in the series. Although, I did love every moment, I did struggle a little to find a connection to the characters and the story line. I was just sucked into needing to know how it was going to end. I am unsure if I will go back and read the first book, maybe one day but it isn’t high on my priority list.

I did give the story 3.5 stars, simply because while I might not been utterly caught up in the world. The writing was so easy to read, and I was dying to know how it was going to end.

There is a lot going on in Her Fathers Secret. I think it's book 2 or 3 in a series and although it didn't matter and it was okay as a standalone I felt like I was missing key parts of the story. Will I read the next book? I don't know, as although it was a good read, easy to pick up, easy to get into, it wasn't the best detective story out there.

I like the protagonist, hate the antagonist and had to get to the end and find out the who done its.

Detective Margot Phalen's father is a serial killer - a fact not unrelated to her decision to follow a career in law enforcement. Margot has always made a point of rejecting her father, refusing as an adult to meet him in person.

But now, when a young girl's body is dragged out of a lake, it becomes all too clear that this case is going to be one that is personal for her. Because one of the things that emerges from the water involves a direct link to Margot's childhood.

And to her dismay, it seems her father may be one of the few people who has the answers that she needs. The problem is, the only person he is willing to talk to is Margot herself...

This is a compelling follow up to the first book in the series, and an opportunity to get to know an interesting fictional character in greater depth. It gets 3.5 stars.

The book is good, a quick read, especially if you're into detective mysteries with some drama. Even as a standalone, it's pretty entertaining, and I'd definitely recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC!

4.5/5

This has quickly become a favorite new series for me.
I already can’t wait for book 3 to come. Margot is such an interesting main character. She really holds her own. Between her job as a detective and helping the FBI with her father’s case this book is nonstop and has such interesting cases.

Can’t wait to read book 3!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm publishing for an ARC in exchange for honest review

Name of Book: Her Father’s Secret
Series: Detective Margot Phalen Book #2
Author: Kate Wiley
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: June 22, 2024
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 322


Twenty years ago Ed Finch – America’s most notorious serial killer – used the Bay Area as his hunting ground.

Now, his daughter Margot Phalen is a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department.
Margo has spent her whole life trying to forget her past; she has and still suffers from the PTSD that occurred when she found out her father was a serial killer.
So far she has not been able to escape the terrible knowledge – will she ever escape it and live a “normal” life?

This was my second story by Kate Wiley – My first was "The Killer’s Daughter" Book #1 in this series. Although it was on the dark side, a very intense read – it was very well done and I was looking forward to this the Second in this series!

This story really doesn’t reveal any new shocking secrets. The first story was dark not sure I wanted to read any really dark secrets. I do have concerns about Margot’s mental health. As her language has more profanity than I remember- I suppose it comes with the job.

Margo's father while at the maximum security prison makes a request to call Margo via his lawyer Rosenthal. When Rosenthal turns to phone to Ed, he asks –
“Did I ever tell you about the summer you turned eight?

Hmmm certainly setting the stage for Book #3 “The Killer Instinct”.

Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 22, 2024.

Another hit by Kate Wiley!
I was lucky enough to read this (as well as the first Margot Phalen Detective book) as an ARC. I can confidently say Kate Wiley has become on of my favourite authors with this series. I love the character of Margot. I really enjoy the storyline with her father. The twist at the end of one of the storylines in this book was great. I didn't see it coming. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series.