The Secret by Katerina DiamondMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
The Queen of Grip-lit is back…
‘A terrific story, originally told. All hail the new Queen of Crime!’ HEAT
‘A web of a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This formidable debut is a page-turner, but don’t read it before bed if you’re easily spooked!’ SUN
EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW IS A LIE…
Can you keep a secret? Your life depends on it…
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…
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I haven't read The Teacher by Katerina Diamond (yet), but this book was so tempting that I just couldn't resist agreeing to do a blog tour for the book. And, the beginning of the book was really captivating, and it was frustrating having to work when I wanted to read. However, I started to have some problem with the story as it progressed. The dialog felt terse and a bit contrived now and then. And, it bothered me because I found the story to be interesting.
We have three storylines in the book; the present time, what happened two years prior and we also have a single individual's life story as he "tells" the reader things about his childhood. It was with this life retelling that I really started to feel that the dialog was not working for me. It was very terse and jagged to read, and lacking finesse.
However, I was curious to what was going on with DS Imogen Gray (however I did see her big secret a mile away) and what linked the past story with the present. Then, something happened that really made me extremely frustrated. This may be a bit of a spoiler, but I need to put it here to show why I just couldn't give the book a higher rating. The parents to a missing girl went to prison for her murder. And, it just stunned me because how on earth can anyone go to prison for murder when there isn't a body or no proof for it to be murder? Sure, one can be declared dead after a couple of years. But, as far as I know you can't send someone to prison just because "they seem guilty". This bothered me quite a lot, I spent the next day at work fretting about it. And, that together with the dialog issues made it hard for me to truly enjoy the book.
However, I will say this, I found the story most of the time to be engaging. It did feel a bit over the top sometimes. Nevertheless, it was not boring to read. Sure, Imogen's problem with the men around her feel a bit like cheesy, like straight from a soap opera, but it was entertaining. And, if I hadn't been so annoyed with the whole prison thing (and some other things, but can't spoiler the book too much) and if the dialog had felt a bit more smooth, then I would have enjoyed the book a whole lot more. I do plan to read The Teacher and hopefully, it will work better for me.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
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