Cate Holahan | ONE LITTLE SECRET

Plot (via Goodreads):

Everyone has a secret. For some, it's worth dying to protect. For others, it's worth killing.

The glass beach house was supposed to be the getaway that Susan needed. Eager to help her transplanted family set down roots in their new town - and desperate for some kid-free conversation - she invites her new neighbors to join in on a week-long sublet with her and her workaholic husband.

Over the course of the first evening, liquor loosens inhibitions and lips. The three couples begin picking up on the others' marital tensions and work frustrations, as well as revealing their own. But someone says too much. And the next morning one of the women is discovered dead on the private beach.

Town detective Gabby Watkins must figure out who permanently silenced the deceased. As she investigates, she learns that everyone in the glass house was hiding something that could tie them to the murder, and that the biggest secrets of all are often in plain sight for anyone willing to look.

A taut, locked room mystery with an unforgettable cast of characters, One Little Secret promises to keep readers eyes glued to the pages and debating the blinders that we all put on in the service of politeness. 

Review:

Cate Holahan is one of those authors to me who has each novel representing a different feel within the crime fiction umbrella. One Little Secret is Holahan's dive into the domestic suspense route combined with a bit of a police procedural. One thing that I really liked about this one was the cast of characters combined with the multiple timeline. The way that Holahan presents this story like a five course meal is outstanding and addictive. Yes, we find out who the victim is and yet the story is still immersive and satisfying. Who killed them? And better yet, why?

The characters definitely carried this story for me. Early on within my reading adventure in this one, I had no issues differentiating the different personalities or their backstories which I think is something to admire within an author. Holahan always knocks it out of the park with her characters and this one is exceptionally well accomplished. These are the types of characters who really let their facades break under hot water and the small and big revelations just within their relationships and who they really are deep down is as fantastically paced as much as the plot is. I definitely had my favorites, one being Detective Watkins and the other being more or less someone with more to hide and lose than anyone else.

The plot to this one is a perfect blend of murder mystery a la Agatha Christie, domestic suspense at its sharpest, a police procedural that would make James Patterson foam at the mouth, all combined into one taut thriller that would have fans of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn feverishly devour. Without giving too much or anything away, the ending to this one was so complex and well-plotted that I read the final chapter multiple times over and over again. I don't possibly know what Cate Holahan can do next, but I know I'll be first in line to add it to my to-be-read list.

Special thanks to Crooked Lane Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5