Why do I do this to myself. Have a book on my reading list for so long I forget I've got it. Then discover it again and read it, to then realise what I've been missing out on the whole time it's been sat waiting for me.

This is a book I'd certainly recommend. So glad I chose to read this book, this week. It's helped take me away from reality. living in another world for the time you are reading is great escapism. This book kept me reading, kept me wanting to read it.

A great read with good characters and a solid storyline.

A wonderful and compelling read that had me glued to my kindle from the very first page. A book that I really recommend.

Stunning book! Had me gripped from the start. Loved it. Well written, brilliant characters, and totally thrilling.

Bridget Reid has a secret- she's a police officer. And now she's being held by a creepy awful man whose pov is provided. DS Imogen Gray and DI Adrian Miles are in a frantic hunt for her but they're not finding it easy. Both of them have issues (Imogen more than Adrian) but they are a good pair. This is well done page turner that gets gritty and at times a bit icky. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was enjoyable. I was confused by some of the decisions made by the DS, and some parts were a bit confusing. Overall, it was a good pace, and I liked the story.

I received a free eARC of The Secret but that has in no way influenced my review.

I confess, I'm a terrible book blogger. I read The Teacher (the first book in the DS Grey series) in 2017 and despite really enjoying it, I completely failed to review it. I read it shortly before my first massive reading slump (I can assure you, it was NOT the cause) and then never went back to write down my thoughts. I do regret that, as this series feels elevated from many of the run of the mill police procedurals out there. Diamond has no fear. She's quite happy to shock and stun her audience with her graphic descriptions and the acts of violence her characters carry out. Which, of course, I absolutely love. I'm a reader who doesn't shy away from a more brutal crime fiction novel. In fact, I wish more authors were as fearless as Diamond is, and were prepared to push the situations their characters find themselves in a little more.

Having recently returned to work, DS Imogen Grey and her partner, DS Adrian Miles, are tasked with finding a missing woman, Bridget Reid. Bridget was last seen by a hapless bystander half-conscious on the bank of a river after being pursued by two men. Both Grey and Miles know that they're against the clock and they need to find Bridget soon, before the unthinkable happens. But their investigation grinds to a halt and they struggle to find a direction. As they dig deeper, more and more horrifying secrets are unearthed. Can they find Bridget alive, before it's too late...?

This book is so much darker than the cover leads you to believe, and I kinda like that. With its grisly opening and it's fast-paced story, led by a strong and gutsy female lead, it's hard to not get sucked into this book from the get-go. Whether you'll end up liking Detective Grey is another matter altogether but I think I'm certainly warming to her. One of the things I remember from reading the first book - The Teacher - was that I liked DS Adrian Miles more than Grey. But the more I get to know this character, the more I like what she's about.

The story is multi-layered with lots going on to keep your interest. Everybody has a secret to some degree in this novel. There are chapters set in the present which follow the current investigation in Exeter with DS Grey and DS Miles. Then there are chapters set in the past - two years previous - which follow DS Grey and another officer, DS Sam Brown, on a different investigation in Plymouth. The reader discovers so much about Imogen and her past in this book, which I really enjoyed. Then there are some quite harrowing chapters from a young boy throughout the years who is unnamed but we get to follow him as his domineering and violent father carries out his despicable plans.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would but it's not for the squeamish. There are some pretty grisly scenes in The Secret which I loved! The constant shift from the past to the present was a little disorientating at times, particularly if I had put the book down for a few hours before returning to it. But sitting here cogitating on the novel as a whole, I really enjoyed it and have since been able to piece the different aspects together. All in all, a very entertaining read and I really look forward to catching up with Grey and Miles again soon. Recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Secret. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

there is so much going on in this book it’s hard to give a narrative of it! it’s an excellent read with so many side stories running alongside the main one. i love the way the book ended leaving plenty of scope for another instalment.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A decent mystery but not quite as enjoyable, for me, as The Teacher. Perfectly set up for the next book in the series though.

5 stars for The Secret by Katerina Diamond! Book #2 in the DS Imogen Grey series that does NOT disappoint. The twist and turns ( I promise you won't see coming) left you wanting more which means this gem is a page-turner. I have not yet had the pleasure of reading the Teacher but I have added it to my MUST read list. Look forward to more from Ms. Diamond.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read the 1st book in the series. I would suggest to anyone reading this book to go back and read the first book in the series before reading this one.
I didn't feel connected with DS Grey at first but I think I would like to learn more about her and will definitely seek out other books by this author.

No longer interested in reading this. Clearing out old galleys.

I did enjoy this book and it was a very complex read, but I'm only giving 4 stars as I don't like cliffhanger endings, but that is my own personal preference.

The Secret was the second book written by Katerina Diamond that I’ve read and is the second in the series of books featuring DS Imogen Grey. Having read The Teacher, the first book in the series, I was looking forward to being reunited with DS Imogen Grey within The Secret. Although it took me far longer than planned to get started on it, I have to say that I found it to be a thoroughly engaging and compelling read that really did have me on the edge of my seat.

At the start of the book we are introduced to Bridget, an undercover police officer who is playing the part of a prostitute in what can only be described as a brothel. One evening, after two men break into her apartment whilst she is upstairs and murder two of the girls she works with and one client, Bridget is forced to go on the run. However after passing out whilst on the run, Bridget wakes up to find herself in a locked basement room where she is held hostage and visited regularly by a captor who she doesn’t know. Assigned the task of finding out what happened to Bridget is DS Imogen Grey and her colleague DS Adrian Miles. As the investigation gets under way Imogen can’t help but feel that this case is connected to a past case she was working on and the past is really not a place that she wants to revisit.

The Secret is a novel that is told from the viewpoint of multiple characters - Imogen, Bridget, Adrian and a boy who is clearly very disturbed. Each of these characters had a very distinctive voice and I thought that Katerina had done a fabulous job at allowing us to get to know each of them with some fantastic character development throughout. Although not essential to have read the first book in the series, it’s something that I would recommend to appreciate the characters and the events that have happened to them previously that The Secret sometimes refers to.

The first book in the series, The Teacher, contained lots of gory and graphic moments and this was something that I struggled with. I have to say that I thought there were far fewer of these scenes within The Secret and this was something that I personally appreciated very much. Another thing I loved about this book was the way in which it was truly unpredictable from beginning to end, with so many twists and turns that you felt you were discovering the leads at the exact same time as the police. In fact the only negative for me was that it jumped around between the past and present quite a lot, sometimes making it quite difficult to keep track of what had happened previously.

With this now being the second book by Katerina that I have read, I can honestly say that I feel she is an author who will continue to deliver great things as an author. I’ve really enjoyed follwing DS Imogen Grey on her investigations to date, and feel that I am now in a good position to pick up the third book in the series - The Angel - that has recently been published. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where life will take Imogen to next!

Unfortunately this book wouldn't download to my eReader, so I was never able to read it. I'll go neutral with three stars and update if I'm able to read it at some point.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this book. I could not wait to finish it so I could find out what the secret is and if they found Bridget in time! Great read!!

If you read The Teacher, you know that there'll be plenty of graphic violence in here. In that respect Diamond doesn't deviate from expectations - but in this story it actually made a little more sense (perhaps because of the background to the characters involved).
I loved the relationships between the key characters here. The shifting time-frames was, on occasion, confusing but only until the point at which you start to realise how they all connect.
Not my usual fare, but I was gripped - and very much interested to know whether the closing image suggests a third book.

A good book that keeps you guessing until the end. Well written

Holy wow! The pace of this thriller was a breath of fresh air. I have read many lately that just didn't do it for me but this one is intense all the way throughout.

After witnessing something horrific, Bridget is on the run. There are so many twists and turns, and most of all secrets. I just can't even begin to tell you how twisted without giving anything away so I will be vague!

That blurb has got to be one of my favorite ever written!

If you can, read book one first then this so you get the full effect. Not required (I don't think personally) but you will want to!

5/5 stars!

While I hadn't read the first in this series, it did not stop me from enjoying this. The writing was good, the twists and turns were unexpected, and the ending left it open for the next book in the series. The only negative comment I have is that at times I found the shifting timelines a bit confusing. However it was a good read, and I would probably read the sequel to this.

Review of an advance copy from the publisher.

This is an excellent follow up to The Teacher, it adds volume and continuity as she goes back and forth to the past.
Its gory gruesome and just the way i like it and expected it :-)
There are lots of avenues to follow and understand , it isn't n easy book to read but once you get the hang of Ms Diamond's writing and read The Teacher you will under stand more and it will help you. To read this fabulously belly churning heart pouncing book Ms Diamind had created for us