Dead secret by Ava McCarthy

Jodie Garrett has one thing on her mind - she is going to kill her husband and then herself.  She's not a deranged killer though, she is a mother seeking revenge against the man who killed their daughter Abby.  What seemed like a perfect marriage turned out to be anything but, and Jodie has nothing left to live for now that her little girl is gone.  The man who made her feel like she had finally found her place and a family turned out to be a manipulative and controlling man who liked to twist things to make Jodie feel off balance and uncertain.  Killing their daughter was the final act of a man who was determined to control the situation when Jodie decided to walk away.

Things don't go to plan though, and Jodie finds herself incarcerated for the murder of her husband - her own words used to convict her.  Inside life has settled into a routine, a routine that is destroyed when a reporter asks to see Jodie and reveals a mind blowing surprise - it is possible that her husband is still alive.  Reporter Matt Novak has some rather damning evidence against her husband, but without her help he is only seeing part of the picture.  Jodie is going to have to risk it all to find out the truth about her beloved husband - and she is about to discover that some secrets are better left dead and buried.

In many ways Dead secret reminds me of the movie Double jeopardy with Ashley Judd - a wife imprisoned for the murder of her husband who discovers that he may not be dead after all.  The early similarities and niggles to remember the plot of the movie almost put me off, but I am extremely glad that I shook it off and read the book all the way through (in one day to find out what happened!) because it is a book with lots of twists and turns as the full story is slowly revealed.  I am not going to include any spoilers here as the story unfolding is one of the best parts of the story, but there are some real shocks throughout the story and the subtle clues about what is really happening build towards an ending that you might (or might not) figure out before the big reveal at the end of the story.

A thoroughly entertaining and absorbing story with characters that leap off the page and make you care about what happens to them.  Jodie is at times filled with strength and determination, and at other times crippled by doubts and confusion - making this a realistic and plausible story.  Can you guess what is happening before the end?

If you like this book then try:

• Let's play make-believe by James Patterson and James O. Born
• City of fear by Alafair Burke
• Now you see her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
• I've got you under my skin by Mary Higgins Clark
• Behind closed doors by B.A. Paris
• One step too far by Tina Seski
• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
• City of the lost by Kelley Armstrong

Reviewed by Brilla