The Secret By Katerina Diamond

[amazon_link id=”0008172218″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’The Secret’ is the second book by Katerina Diamond, who’s debut novel, ‘The Teacher’ was longlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Daggar Award and the Hotel Chocolat Award for ‘the darkest moment’

Bridget Reid has a secret, one that could get her killed… If she can escape the man who is keeping her locked in a basement bedroom. DS Imogen Grey is good at keeping secrets – truths she’d never reveal to her colleagues at Exeter Police. She worked hard to get where she is – she nearly died for it. Now her past is catching up with her. As DS Grey and her partner DS Adrian Miles search for Bridget, they uncover a terrifying web of abuse, betrayal and murder. And they realise that some secrets are better left buried…

I read Katerina’s debut novel, ‘The Teacher’ back in May of this year and found it to be one of the most compelling and gruesome stories that I’ve read in the while, it was a troubling and dark read and somehow I was unable to put it down.

‘The Secret’ follows in the exact format as the first book and follows DS Adrian Miles and DS Imogen Grey as they begin to investigate a new case, where bodies are discovered and a policewoman is missing. In this book, we read about Imogen’s past and I found this particularly interesting, as of the two characters, I found her extremely interesting, with her shady dealings in previous cases, a neurotic mother plus her razor sharp wit and passion for work, she makes for great reading.

In this story there are a number of stories happening at the one time, there is the story of the missing undercover policewoman, Imogen’s previous police case and the mysterious inclusion of a story seen solely through the eyes of a young man over a period of years as he grows up and becomes exposed to drugs, sex and murder.

From the very first page, the story travels at a fast pace and is so cleverly and intricately written that it was impossible to put down as all the stories are all neatly worn together. Right away the reader is exposed to a world of prostitution, human trafficking and drug use and these scenes are quite difficult reading and are not for the faint hearted. The one that I’ve come to love about Katerina’s books, is the unpredictability of the story, none of the characters are safe and she’s cold heartedly ruthless with her writing and I absolutely loved the shock and underlying tension throughout the tale.

A dark and twisted tale that had me gasping in fear, ‘The Secret’ is another thrilling and grisly read that grips the readers attention right until the final page.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0008172218″ target=”_blank” ]The Secret from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.