This book had me gripped from the very first few pages. Barbara Copperthwaite has an amazing talent for weaving the most fantastic stories and pulling you deep into the heart of the book. I had absolutely no idea which direction this book was going to take.  The story alternates between a few days before Christmas and the horrific scene that the police are called to on Christmas Day, after gun shots are heard. I was desperate to find out what had happened.

The characters all have their own problems which unravel as we read and you really are left wondering just what is in store. Ben and Dom have the outwardly perfect marriage and a gorgeous home in the suburbs- but does money bring either of them happiness?

This really was a page turner- you are desperate to read more.

Wow I could not put this book down even though I mainly disliked the characters . A “normal” family with a teenage girl and an innocent 8 years old girl .. from the outside a middle class two point four children type household .. but each of them hold their own secrets and demons . Building to a crescendo on Christmas Day lies tragedy and it finishes with a bang ! Fantastic 3rd read from this author . My thanks to netgalley and bookouture for my copy

I know from an experience that any book that has a shocking or mysterious first chapter will end up to have a phenomenal plot and twisted ending. I liked the fact that book went back and forth between Christmas day and the days that lead to the family tragedy.

The book has covered many issues, such as bullying, adultery, money fraud. I liked how the author told the story from the point of view of each main character. And speaking of the characters, we've got an interesting mix here: sweet and goodhearted young kid, angry teenager, a wife who tries to keep her family together, money and power hungry husband, who also cheats on his wife, and draws money from his business. A young and jealous mistress who wants to keep her lover and his wealth all to herself and takes very dangerous steps to do so. And finally, a fifteen-year-old boy, who doesn't have time to be a kid because of his mother illness, becomes a caretaker for his mum and 2 young brothers. Thru all of the above characters together and you got yourself an extraordinary mystery thriller.

This was my first book by this author but it will not be the last!

This story is told from multiple points of view and flashes back between past and present. We know that something terrible has happened at a wealthy suburban home and it is unlike anything the detectives have ever seen. As we skip back to the days leading up to the tragedy, we’re pointed in all different directions. There are so many people who could be the perpetrator. So many different motives. Every time you think you have your finger on it, more information comes to light and you’re thrown for a loop again. In the end, the answer is so complex, I’m not sure anyone could guess all the events that led to what happened.

Several times, early in this book, I wanted to put it down and walk away. The characters were annoyingly stereotypical and unlikeable. Their flaws made it easier to see them as perps, but then we’d be offered a glimpse into their humanity to make us question the likelihood of their guilt. Not the first time this ploy has been used, but it was done ad nauseam. So it felt like you were on a merry-go-round that wouldn’t stop when you were ready to get off. Hence the moments of wanting to DNF and move on.

However, I got so far in, that I couldn’t not know. I’d spent too much time reading and I felt I deserved to find out what really happened. And, I’m actually glad I did. Without giving anything away, I just have to say that if any reader claims that they knew exactly what happened prior to finishing the book, I’d mark them as geniuses because it is very far from simple. For me, the ending saved the book for me.

It’s hard to say whether I’d recommend it or not. If you plow through 300 books a year because you’ve got nothing but time on your hands (lucky!), then maybe. If you read a lot less than that…well, I’ll say this – I don’t feel that I wasted my time, but if I could go back and choose a different book to read instead, I probably would.

Her last secret

I do love a psychological thriller and this one had me almost breathless as I raced through it.

The character development is brilliant and I think that Barbara absolutely managed to get inside the head of a teenage girl who is being cyber bullied.

The girl in question is called Ruby and the bullying had followed her from one school to another, it got so bad that she wanted to give up on life. Sadly this rings true for so many young people at the moment and I think it offers a great insight into the thought processes of a teenage mind. Especially with a view to how they see their parents reactions as not caring about or loving them.

Ruby's dad is going through a hard time financially but doesn't want to admit to his family so he is too self absorbed with his own problems and secrets to be able to focus on those who matter the most in his life.

It is quite shocking in the subject matter and very gritty and I think that shows a fearlessness from the author by being completely transparent about these sorts of issues.

It's a very sad story because once this chain of events is started it can't be stopped.

An amazing thriller focused very much on relationships and delves deeply into the psyche of each of the characters.

Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for the arc which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Right from the start of this one you already know something horrific has happened, but you don’t know the details, just that the Thomas family is shattered, and on Christmas Day of all days. This is told mostly through flashbacks starting about a week before Christmas, then there are a handful of chapters told from a police officers point of view when he arrives at the families home after tragedy strikes. Every single family member gets to tell their version of events and while most of them were pretty unlikable, I was still highly invested in their lives, and I did have a huge soft spot for Mouse, the youngest member of the family. She was such a dear, quirky little girl and I really wanted to take her away from the craziness of her family and keep her safe.

This seemingly picture perfect family is anything but and they all have secrets they’re desperate to keep which made me suspicious and unsure of what exactly was going on. All of the characters are really well drawn and I really liked that Copperthwaite took the time to not only make these people come to life, but she gave them various problems and issues that were believable and really relevant today.

This was a not one of those action packed, tense psychological thrillers but rather one that was character driven and relied on a simmering, more subtle tension that increased as you get closer to the end. The conclusion was shocking especially since you’re already acutely aware that something awful happened but there were still plenty of surprises that were unpredictable and I really couldn’t have guessed what truly happened in the end.

Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite is the second book that I have read by this author. The first one was The Darkest Lies which I absolutely loved. Her Last Secret proved to be even better than the previous title.

The story has a chilling opening. It begins with police responding to reports of shots fired in the Thomas’ house on Christmas morning and thereafter, making a shocking discovery. This opening and the blurb set the stage for what turned out to be a nerve-wrecking, fast-paced thriller.

The plot revolves around the members of the Thomas family. After the opening,it goes back to the days before Christmas. Through the chapters, secrets and lies are revealed. What I loved most about this book is how each revelation introduced a new suspect and motive. I had reasons to suspect all the characters including the youngest member of the family. I spotted motives everywhere. However, each time that I made up my mind, the author threw the suspicion to someone else hence making me come up with new theories. Interestingly, I was wrong with each guess.

The tension escalates through the pages. I couldn’t wait to get to Christmas day to find out what had happened. At the same time, I was nervous about the discovery. Who fired the shot? Who died? Who survived? Why? My thoughts were racing and so was my heart. In addition, the author heightens the suspense by counting down to Christmas. By the time we got to one day to Christmas, I was practically on the edge of my seat. Needless to say, the final twist was unpredictable. It wasn’t simple or straight forward which made it even more memorable. It is the kind of ending that you read and think about long after you have turned the last page. I want everyone to read this book so that we can discuss how crazy and brilliant the final twist is.

This book has everything that makes a thriller addictive. Themes of lies and secrets heightened the tension with each new chapter. I also enjoyed the character development. I disliked some of the characters and but also had some favorites. They all made this an engrossing read. There were also themes of family and relationships which made this more of a domestic noir than a psychological thriller (or perhaps a combination of both). In addition, there were also aspects of bullying. All in all, the author brought together different themes and characters to create the masterpiece that this book is. I cannot recommend Her Last Secret enough to fans of these genres. If you haven’t read any books by Barbara Copperthwaite, you need to rectify that soon because you are missing out on a great reading experience.

A lifetime can flash by in a moment. A moment can last a lifetime.

Her Last Secret opens on Christmas morning in an affluent residential area of London. Shockingly, gunshots have been heard from number fifteen Burgh Road, the home of Benjamin and Dominique Thomas and their two daughters, Ruby and Amber. Clearly, something terrible has happened, but what - and who could be capable of it? As police officers cautiously approach the house, the narrative moves back eight days to follow the Thomas family in the period leading up to the events.

The father of the family, Benjamin, is arrogant and status-oriented, focused on impressing others with the success and material trappings (the Rolex, the Mercedes...) of an alpha male. He's not yet living the lifestyle to which he feels entitled, though - after all, he only has one Mercedes. But Benjamin's bombastic exterior hides some deep insecurities - and a ticking time bomb of a secret which could bring it all crashing down.

Meanwhile his under pressure wife Dominique, feeling increasingly isolated from her husband and despised by her elder daughter, fears the resurgence of a frightening problem from her past. Dominique is often referred to as a doormat, letting her husband get away with far too much. But what would it take for her to finally snap?

Troubled fifteen-year-old Ruby has more going on in her life than her parents have any idea of. They predictably disapprove of her council-estate-dwelling boyfriend Harry, but have no notion of the true scale of Ruby's problems and in quite how dark a direction her thoughts are heading.

Then there's eight-year-old Amber, known as Mouse due to her quiet nature and tendency to hide in corners reading. (Like mice - only without the reading.) The most obviously innocent, lovable and vulnerable member of the family, it's Mouse we fear for most, even as she escapes into her own fantasy world where everyone is finally happy.

On the fringes of this not-so-happy family are Ruby's boyfriend Harry, Dominique's oldest friend Fiona, Benjamin's business partner Jazmine, and a frankly idiotic young woman named Kendra.

Interspersed with this narrative are snippets of the police cautiously approaching and entering the house. It's an effective technique which builds a sense of mounting tension for the reader about what they are going to find. As the officers move further through the house, the nature and scale of the disaster is gradually revealed... Or is it?

Her Last Secret (as a Sherlock fan, the title recalls His Last Vow - whether intentionally or not, I'm not sure) is a very gripping and enjoyable read. There are a few awkward turns of phrase ("her fellow peers") but generally the writing flows naturally. The characterisation is very well done and I particularly enjoyed, if that's the right word, the strand of the plot following Ruby and Harry. The tension becomes almost unbearable at times, and as the story reaches its culmination there are some genuinely emotional, even heartbreaking moments.

This is the first book I have read by Barbara Copperthwaite and on the strength of this I will certainly seek out her others. Recommended.

Review also published on my blog http://atickettoeverywhere.blogspot.com.

Woah, where do I begin ? So many Secrets So many lies. So many mistakes. For all the different characters in this book, I can honestly say none of them were likable for so many reasons ......... despite that this book was excellent. You never really knew who was guilty or to what extent til the very end. I loved this book. Very dark, very suspenseful Right up my alley :) Enjoy !

Having read and enjoyed the author’s previous books I was looking forward to reading Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite. In fact, I enjoyed her books so much that I agreed to read and review this one without even reading the blurb. I went in totally blind.

The book starts early on Christmas Day, we know that the police have been called to a house after a neighbour heard gunshots and the officer in charge is trying to decide when to go into the house, fearing that a gunman (or woman) might shoot someone in the process.

We then go back in time to a few weeks before Christmas and meet the people who live in the house, Ben and Dominique with their children, teenager Ruby and Mouse, the youngest of the family. As the book goes on we learn that all is not well within the Thomas family, but the question remains, who fired the gun and why?

There are regular chapters that are back in the present day, to the police officer outside their house on Christmas Day. I am not always a fan of chapters that go back and forth in time but it worked incredibly well in Her Last Secret, building the tension and keeping the reader guessing.

I was often sure that I had worked it all out, but of course, I hadn’t. This is not a short book, at 408 pages it is quite lengthy but when reading it on my Kindle I had no idea that it was that long and it certainly never dragged. I only ever wished that it would hurry up because I was desperate to find out what had happened on that Christmas morning.

I thought that Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite combines all of the ingredients needed to make a brilliant psychological thriller. I thoroughly recommend it.

I received a copy of Her Last Secret from the publisher, Bookouture. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

It's an interesting thriller story. It starts with suspense, tense and a fast pace. It gives each character enough tell, to get to know each person. Also, it's not confusing because it keeps switching between characters. The story is well build.
The first chapter starts with a story where you want to keep reading, Further into the story is more build around the lives from the characters instead of what has happened, In the end you understand why the author created it this way.
Overall, a fast pace thrilling story. But I do think with a lot more tension it would have been a story you would like to finish in one sitting.

Talk about an opening chapter putting you on high alert! The police were moving through each room with caution, after reports of gun shots had been heard from the house, then unmoving bodies were discovered the further they got inside, before they saw the one that made my blood run cold. A child out back laying motionless.
Barbara Copperthwaite captured silence in her words, the unbelievable scene that brought professional men to a halt before they could regain control on their emotions. They had to because this was a crime scene not a family. This was the affluent Thomas household, the beautiful house, the presents were under the tree, Santa had been but a merry Christmas day it wasn’t!
There is then a back drop to just eight days before Christmas with each of the family members telling their own stories and how they saw themselves fit into the family setting. Each with their own complicated lives with them being too busy to acknowledge the needs of the others.
This is one hell of a mixed up family and just loved the complexity of it all because it made such a cracking story. There is a saying, “Much wants more” and that was certainly right for Ben and he would go to any lengths to show that he was the man! He sure did love his self but still needed a little something on the side to tell him what a brilliant man he was too. I mean surely it went with the territory didn’t it? Grrrrrr All show, show, show. All how he wanted people to see him, not how he really was.
The rest of this little family that consisted of wife and mum Dominique, teenager Ruby and little sister mouse I will let you get to know yourself. Like anything else it is easy to get to know each of them and their own quirkiness and problems but they also hide such a lot from each other. There again what family doesn’t, everyone hates not to seem perfect or at the least “normal.” It is in our nature to cover up and say we are ok.  The only thing is we expect others to notice there is something wrong but they are often doing just the same.
There are some real shockers though, I just loved every dysfunctional family member with dodgy and dangerous pasts, from their lies, to their deception and rather troubling thoughts how to make it all better. Whoa I mean there was a real Ice Queen moment with Dominique, talk about keeping your cool in a situation! I personally would have had a melt down. I didn’t know whether to admire her or give her a good shake to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!
Yep this is a book that jarred all of my emotions with at times more than just one being in play.  I absolutely had all of my wind knocked out of me and all my stuffing flattened by the time I read the last chapter. What a little belter this book is. I just need to get into the recovery position now. Just Wow!

WOW!! I did not know where to put myself after I'd finished this book - it is absolutely superb and I went through so many emotions reading it!! Not been so tense reading a book for ages and I felt like I was reeling after I'd finished!!

My first thoughts after finishing it were "she's only gone and done it again!!"- it is no secret that I am a massive fan of the authors other books and was eagerly awaiting getting my hands on this one but oh my goodness, I did NOT want to put this down, literally gripped me and I kept trying to second guess the ending, superb writing by one of my favourite authors - LOVED it!!  Cannot recommend it highly enough but be prepared to be put through the emotional ringer when you read it!! Absolutely NO hesitation in giving this book 5stars - brilliant!!

I had never read anything by this author before but the description sounded interesting so I decided to give it a shot.
I enjoyed this book but it was slow and I didn't really care for the characters.. The story was ok but really not something I would read again. I know some would enjoy this one so I have recommended it to friends who would enjoy it.

Have you ever opened a book, read the first chapter, then thought What The Hell, I have…………..   I even slammed the kindle shut and sat there trying to gather myself, before I  rifled through my kindle trying to keep my eyes in their sockets and jaw off the floor while reading Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite.

An ordinary family who are outwardly perfect, Ben a successful business man his wife Dominque a stay at home mum with two beautiful children Ruby and Amber, the truth…..is in Her Dark Secret. A bold interaction is created where the end is the beginning, Barbara has given us an inkling of the end in such a way that we have to delve into the days leading up to the horrific discover of a family massacre to understand all the secrets and lies.

Ben has a secret…….

Dominque knows a secret……

Ruby is haunted by a secret….

Mouse hides in secret……

I loved the build of all the characters, each ones personality seemed darker than the last. If I was to rate in order of who I liked to whom I disliked, Mouse would be the sweetheart of them all, a young innocent who hides in her own imaginary world, but the one I loathe with all my being is Ben, he pertains to be perfect in all possible ways with his smarmy boyish charm to gain the best in life at any cost. There are several other characters who add to the tempo of the plot, on occasion throwing a minuscule thread of doubt your way or raising your heart rate to the point of on occasion shouting at the book its you, only to be thrown down another path of twists created by another character.

I’m still astounded by the plotline several days after finishing, I was rattled that much that I’m still trying to comprehend how Barbara managed to hoodwink me into believing I knew the culprit…..but bloody hell I was wrong.

I’m not going to tell a soul about what happened in the book, all I will say is get on your phone, kindle or laptop, grab this book with both hands and click, click, click to buy.

Barbara has invited you into her world so pull up a seat, make yourself comfy, open Her Dark Secret and read, read, read…….

Thank you to the publishers Bookouture, author Barbara Copperthwaite and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy, in which I am honoured to write an impartial review.

EXCERPT: The time had come to expose all the secrets, no matter what.
If only she had the courage to do so. If only the family was strong enough to survive it. If only she didn't do something stupid herself.

THE BLURB: There are some secrets you can never tell.

The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.

They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse.

But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant.

But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.

Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?

This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.

MY THOUGHTS: I hate abandoning a read. I know how much effort goes into giving birth to a book. And I tried, I really tried. I struggled through to 57%, but it just got harder and harder. I found it all very contrived and predictable. I felt nothing for any of the characters. While it is not necessary for me to like the characters, it is necessary for me to feel something. I recently read a book where I couldn't stand any of the characters, but I rated it 4-stars because the plot was great, and there was atmosphere and I felt involved. None of this happened with Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite. Nada. Zilch.

I know I am in the minority here, so if you have read and enjoyed Barbara Copperthwaite in the past, or you are intrigued by the excerpt or the blurb, then please read Her Last Secret and let me know how you feel about it.

So apologies and thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or my 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

And a note to whomever decides what to put on the cover, it is really irritating that we are constantly being told that a book is gripping and we won't be able to put it down. We're big people. Let us make up our own minds on that. Also endless comparisons to Gone Girl, or Girl on the Train tend to put my teeth on edge. Let the book stand or fall on its own merit.

A loving family, the sound of gunfire and a gruesome find for the police in the early hours of Christmas Day.
This was a very original idea for a story. I love how the author tantalises the reader with snippets of what happened on that fateful , festive morning, whilst bringing the story forward day by day.
My favourite character is the youngest Daughter Amber aka Mouse, so called because she likes to burrow away and read in peace and quiet, often to hide away from the pressures of the family life going on around her. This family love each other but don’t always make time for each other.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book. I can’t wait to see what Barbara Copperthwaite comes up with next.

This review is written with thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy of Her Last Secret.
On Christmas Day, two shots are heard ringing through the Thomas household. When police arrive at the scene, they find several lifeless bodies. As they try to find out what happened to the family - dad Benjamin, mum Dominique, and daughters, Ruby and Amber, they discover Ruby's diary, and realise that each member of the family was hiding their own secret. What happened inside the Thomas' house?
Although it is clear from the outset that the novel ends in disaster, it remains a mystery until the end how the disaster occurred. Copperthwaite takes us back to the days prior to the incident to give the reader some insight into the family's lives. She plants many suggestions in the reader's mind, and as she does so, we see that the Thomas family are a family who are drowning in their own secrets. This means I was intrigued by the events that had torn the family apart. However, ultimately, having heard good things about Copperthwaite, I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It is described as a psychrlogical thriller, but I found that the plot developed a little too slowly, focusing slightly too much on the relationships within the family, and this meant that the tension within the novel did not build as much as I would have liked.
In Her Last Secret, Copperthwaite introduces the reader to a group of characters who, although members of the same family, have significantly different characteristics. However, I found it difficult to warm to most of the main characters. Both Benjamin and Dominique are judgemental, and I found myself wanting to pick up my Kindle and shake it in response to their characters' views on Ruby's boyfriend, Harry - a mixed race boy whose family lives on benefits. Whilst I appreciate that these views are unlikely to reflect those of the author, my irritation with the characters prevented me from enjoying the novel as much as I might have.

Dominique has a charmed life. A successful husband, two daughters, a large house and nothing to worry about. So think those who see her. Behind closed doors she has had something happen in the past (which we don’t know about) and the nightmares are starting again. Her friend Fiona is the only one who knows the full story. Meanwhile her husband Benjamin is having his own problems both with work and his mistress and their eldest daughter Ruby is living a nightmare at school and making plans to put it right. We know from the prologue that something has happened and as the plot grows the perpetrator could be anyone of a number of characters all with the motive to go through with it.This is a very well written book that draws you in, with an invisible thread of a sleeping volcano to whet the interest. The chapters after a while intersperse with the “now” just giving that little bit more to tantalise. A gripping book with short snappy chapters that keep the story alive. This is my first Barbara Copperthwaite book- and it most certainly won’t be my last. Stunning.I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

WOW! This book kept me riveted to the pages, until the very end. The plot was divinely interesting and well-crafted with a deliciously dark edge to it. The characters were deep, compelling and complex. I was torn between not wanting the story to end and wanting to see how it would end.

This book has made me a new and dedicated fan of Copperthwaite.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & Bookouture in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.