My Rating
The latest thriller from Jane Corry We All Have Our Secrets began on a very high note…thrilling scenario of a young woman playing the role of a carer for a geriatric man, and the daughter suspecting something amiss had all the hallmarks of a gripping story. Being Jane Corry, I had expected the emotional journey along with the thrill ride. Even though the premise is quite intriguing, the story failed to live up to my expectations, and truth be told, the expectation is way up there which could be the reason why I felt excited reading this but did not suffer any bungee-jumping adrenaline rush.
Told majorly thru POVs of the daughter Emily and the carer Francoise, there are also chapters that take the reader to the past of Emily’s father Harold Gentle. The family dynamics were efficiently drawn, one can see Emily’s intense need to be the sole concerned member for her father, and having a young woman who all of sudden becomes more important than Emily herself tilts her axis upside down. Emily, Francoise, and Harold are all hiding secrets and this is what drives the story forward when misgivings and doubts raise their head.
We All Have Our Secrets has the trademark entanglements between family members that make it hard for the reader to sympathize with one character or another and all of them are humans with shades of grey and everything in between. The author is exceptional in creating situations that make you feel the uneasy and disturbing atmosphere and once the unexpected death occurs, the reader waits to know how the drama would unfold and the twists keep coming even in the final epilogue chapter.
The past story which captures the horror endured by Harold during World War II strikes a chord and as the author points out thru Nick in the story, it is easy for us to be blissfully unaware of the sacrifices made by so many of them and enjoy the freedom that we are granted.
Touching in many ways and a story that proves that blood needn’t be shared to form a familial bond, We All Have Our Secrets engages the reader thoroughly.
Many thanks to Net Galley, Penguin Random House UK, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
Emily made a mistake, a mistake midwifes can’t afford to make. Escaping to her dad’s home in Devon to regroup and check in on him – his dementia has been worsening, and her guilt along with it – she is surprised when a beautiful stranger answers the door. Francoise is her dad’s new carer, but Emily’s father seems to have deteriorated under her care.
Emily doesn’t trust Francoise – but she doesn’t trust herself either. Each has a secret. And one of them will kill to keep it . . .
A suspenseful, darkly emotive domestic thriller from the Sunday Times bestseller about what happens when family ties are pushed to breaking point.
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