Journalist Ben Harper is on his way home when he sees the flames in the churchyard. The derelict community centre is on fire. And somebody is trapped inside.

With Ben’s help the person escapes, only to flee the scene before they can be identified. Now the small town of Haddley is abuzz with rumours. Was this an accident, or arson?

Then a skeleton is found in the burnt-out foundations.

And when the identity of the victim is revealed, Ben is confronted with a crime that is terrifyingly close to home. As he uncovers a web of deceit and destruction that goes back decades, Ben quickly learns that in this small town, everybody has something to hide.

My Review

Once again we are back in the fictional town of Haddley, with investigative journalist Ben Harper. In the first book, Twelve Secrets, Ben is trying to uncover the truth behind his brother’s shocking murder at the hands of two 14-year-old girls. And also the death of his mother, who allegedly threw herself in front of a train.

Book two begins with a fire at the derelict community centre, a teenager trapped inside and the discovery of a body buried underneath. And a knife which has mysteriously disappeared.

But when the identity of the body is revealed, it opens up another mystery. Who was buried years ago in the victim’s grave?

We see the return of a number of characters from the first book. PC Dani Cash, daughter of much-loved and respected Inspector Jack Cash, old-school newspaperman Sam, father of Ben’s boss Madeline (who seems a lot nicer in book two) and Dani’s husband Mat Moore, who was stabbed at the end of book one and is now in a wheelchair.

But there are lots of new ones too. Seventy something Pamela was Dani’s next door neighbour when she was a small child. She lives alone and watches the schoolchildren who walk past her window every day. Rev Adrian Withers is the vicar of St Stephens and is married to long-suffering wife Emily. Then there is the Grace family, including teenager Archie, And many more – I won’t list them all.

How many of them are lying about the body under the community centre, the fire and everything else that has gone on in Haddley? Eleven presumably, though I won’t try and list them either. Usually when reading with online bookclub The Pigeonhole, we have our theories and try to work out whodunnit and who knows the truth. By about two thirds of the way through I gave up and decided to just go with the flow. I’d have needed a spreadsheet and a notebook.

A brilliant book, complicated at times – I’m glad I had my buddy readers with whom to exchange ideas and remind each other of who was who. I am so looking forward to book three when we can see Ben, Dani and co again.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Originally from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Robert Gold began his career as an intern at the American broadcaster CNN, based in Washington DC. He returned to Yorkshire to work for the retailer ASDA, becoming the chain’s nationwide book buyer. He now works in sales for a UK publishing company. Robert lives in Putney and his new hometown served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Haddley in Twelve Secrets. In 2016, he co-authored three titles in James Patterson’s Bookshots series.