This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

This is already the fifth book in the Detective Merry series, and unfortunately I haven't read the previous books in the series. I however feel that the book reads nicely enough as a standalone but I will read the previous book now, because... why not,. its definitely a solid series that's worth the effort!
This is an entertaining story that follows police officers as they investigate a murder case. There are suspects galore and thrilling story lines that just keeps on going. Recommended.

This is the fifth in the Neal and Merry series but can easily be read as a stand-alone without feeling like you’ve missed too much.

This is another book that it’s taken me almost a year to get round to, oops, but I heard that Janice Frost has another book out very soon (which I believe is a stand-alone) so it gave me the kick up the bum to actually read this one.

Dirty Secrets is a solid police procedural that really focuses on the investigation of the crime and everything that goes into it.

It centres around two families, the Cornishes and the Marshes, who put the dysfunctional in dysfunctional families, each relationship toxic in some way. Russell Cornish is found dead in his study, a gunshot to the head which sends both families into chaos, exposing deep buried family secrets.

We got a little bit more about Jim Neal’s background in this book, his ex and the mother of his son turns up out of the blue which complicates things between him and Merry. I don’t know if it was me but there seems to be a little something between the two police officer which I hope is built on in the next book.

I have to be honest, it was a little slower paced than the previous book and there weren’t as many shocks and surprises along the way, which made me zone out at times but of course that’s just my opinion.

I’d recommend Dirty Secrets to anyone who loves police procedurals revolving round toxic relationships.

Dirty Secrets – Janice Frost.

I started this the fifth book in the DI Ava Merry and Jim Neal series with the intentions of only reading a couple of chapters before popping out needless to say I left at the last possible moment. Make sure you’ve got time to curl up and enjoy this in peace and quiet. I feel that it would be better to read the previous books in this series, as there’s such a lot of detail and information regarding the team and their personal lives.

It starts with a murder and escalates fast and furiously a drug dealer murdered next. It’s a story full to the brim of infidelity, lies and intrigue. It shows the depths that people will go to to keep secrets from their loved ones.

I enjoy the working relationship between Merry and Neal they and the way they try look after the team.


Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books

Drugs, blackmail, and gangs - not my normal read - but actually an enjoyable book if a little long winded. I am glad I read this and will look for more from Janice Frost.

This is the first book in this series I have read by this author and it could stand alone quite well but I felt attempts to provide a little bit of background were a little forced. Quite a good story but too many of the characters were in need of a therapist, which did not ring too true. The fact that even the fairly innocent characters were lying to the police was a step too far Whether I would have felt more engaged if I had read the earlier books I am not too sure. An easy read but not the best, sorry.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Janice Frost/Joffe Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author, Janice Frost, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Dirty Secrets in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I found the storyline to be well written and thought it was a good read.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great story and good characters. Will definitely read more from this Author.

This is the second book in the series I have read, after Their Fatal Secrets, and I think the series is just getting better with each one.

This is a brilliant book in that their are a lot of suspects, who are all related and have a reason for wanting the victim dead.

I think the main reason this book works so well for me is that at first glance it appears the victim, Russell Marsh, has the perfect family where everyone loves each other. It isn't until you start to scratch the surface to find you realise what everyone really thinks of each other, just like in real life.

I really like the chemistry between the two investigating officers and how they have progressed through the last couple of books and work really well together as a little team, always looking out for each other both on the field and in their personal lives.

Where the book had so many suspects, all as dodgy as the next,p and appearing to be guilty of something, it made it really hard to work out who the real killer was among the red herrings.  This made it a brilliant read and made the pages fly until I was at the end without realising, and also made me not want to wait to read the next one.

Overall this is a brilliant book, which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend..

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc.

I read this immediately following a couple of really, really bad books and I had great hopes for this one as it was presented for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbot, etc.

Maybe my hopes were too high. It was an okay book. The fifth in a series and the only one I've read. Maybe that was part of my problem.... coming into the "show" well after the intermission instead of the beginning. The story was okay, well-paced and fairly credible. But none of the characters resonated with me. Every one felt somewhat flat and all the personal aspects of their various lives were "soap - opera" elements that I felt detracted from the book overall.


3.0 stars

DIRTY SECRETS by JANICE FROST. Another fast paced mystery, complex with many surprises. Very good edition to the DI Neal and DS Merry series. Looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I am reading the others in the series before I read this so I will give a proper review then. If the other books in the series are anything to go by then it will be a good read

This is the fifth book in the series and for me they are just getting better and better and I honestly do think that this is the best that has been released so far through Joffe Books!

I love Neal and Merry – they are strong characters in their own right and they work so well together. They come up against a really complicated and complex murder in this one and I loved what was unravelled about those involved as the story moves on.

I was addicted to this one from the first few chapters. No hesitation in giving this one a 5 star review – a great addition to a fantastic series of book!!

Although complex and twisted I found the storyline in this book to be too narrow with too much focus on too few characters, definitely not the best in this series.

This is the fifth book in the series featuring DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry. The book opens when Val Marsh returns home after being away looking after her daughter, partner and baby. When she returns she finds her husband, Russ, shot dead. Suicide is quickly ruled out. The body of Russ’s business partner’s housekeeper is found. Both families are now under suspicion. There are lots of affairs, family secrets, drugs and money laundering that are factors in this investigation. I hope we see more development between Neal and Merry as the series builds. Good easyreading.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Dirty Secrets, the fifth novel to feature DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry, set in the fictional East Midlands town of Stromford.

When Val Marsh returns from staying with her daughter, Ruth, she finds her husband, Russ, dead from a gunshot wound. Neal and Merry soon establish that he has been murdered but finding the perpetrator will be difficult with the family and friends constantly lying to hide a morass of secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dirty Secrets which is another, well plotted, compulsive read with some good twists. Who knew a family and their close friends could have so many secrets and dodgy characters? Once, however, you get over this moment of disbelief the novel is eminently readable because it is all about the team's efforts to uncover the truth in such a web of lies, deceit and manipulation and becomes quite compulsive as the reader tags along. I'm often quite critical of novels with a shifting perspective, as is the case in this novel, but it works really well here with the other characters' thoughts and actions amplifying the investigation rather than distracting from it.

Dirty Secrets is, in writing terms, a straightforward police procedural which doesn't try to be anything else. It is entertaining in that the reader can concentrate on a good plot which will hold their attention from start to finish and has some likeable characters in the form of the investigative team who bond well together and bring a warmth to the novel that offsets some bad behaviour from the other characters.

Dirty Secrets is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

5 stars

DI Jim Marsh and DS Ava Merry are back in the latest installment of the series of police procedurals.

Wealthy businessman Russell Marsh is found dead by his wife upon her return from a week-long stay at her daughter Ruth’s home. He has been shot in the head. Neal and Merry respond to the call and at first what may be a suicide suddenly turns out to be a murder. They begin by questioning Russ’ wife Val. She insists it was not a suicide.

Neal and Merry then discover infidelities, dislikes and secrets that tie the Marsh family, their business associates and others together. When another body is found in the woods, Dana Schnell the live-in help at the Cornish family home, it seems the murder conspiracy extends farther than just Russell Marsh. Paul Cornish was Russ’ business partner.

The lies that the witnesses are telling are getting in the way of the police finding out the truth. Now that a kilo of cocaine has been found in Dana’s room, the team’s thoughts turn to drugs. From there, with another murder along the way, the story gets convoluted. All sorted out in the end, however, and the murder turns out to be no surprise – at least in my book.

This is a well written novel. There were only a couple of typos/grammatical errors, but none too glaring and they did not distract from the story. I liked DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry better in this novel than in the last two. Ms. Frost seems to have polished her characterization up and it shines brightly. The team of Jim, Ava, PJ and Tom work well together and like one another and that seems to help bring stability to a rather confusing, at times, novel. It was a very good book and I’m glad I gave reading Ms. Frost another chance. I will continue to look for her books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this enjoyable book for me to read and review.

I would like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dirty Secrets’, fifth in the Neal and Merry series written by Janice Frost, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry are called in to investigate the death of businessman Russ Marsh. It looks like suicide but his wife Val believes he’s been murdered and evidence quickly proves that to be the case. Shortly after, the body of Dana Schell, housekeeper to Russ’ business partner Paul Cornish and his wife Gail, is found in the woods.
This police thriller has a complex and fast-paced plot and has been written in a style that flows well making it easy to read. Characters are introduced who could be involved with secrets that they can’t or won’t reveal, together with lots of twists and turns, all of which kept me guessing till the end. I must admit that I haven’t enjoyed it as much as some of Janice Frost’s previous novels but nevertheless it’s an interesting and involving story. I’ve enjoyed reading more of the tentative relationship between Jim Neal and Ava Merry and look forward to it continuing in future novels.

4.5 Stars

Who truly hated business Russell Marsh enough to shoot him dead in his home? DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal are called in to investigate what turns out to be a very complex murder, especially since right from the very start it is patently obvious that the family had things to hide. Then another body is discovered and, upon investigation, it immediately appears that the murders are connected. As time becomes of the essence, the trail leads them into an incredibly dangerous world of crime.

There are secrets and there are doozies. The victims' families are involved in the latter, some disgustingly so. And, as time progresses, they just dig themselves in deeper and deeper. The mystery of these crimes is done quite well in this chilling story. While reading how these murders are solved, I enjoyed the repertoire that existed between Ava and Jim. Although her boss, Neal is quite personable to her and the rest of the team.

Dirty Secrets is the fifth in the DS Merry and DI Neal series. This book does quite well as a standalone, as I myself experienced, haven't yet had the opportunity to read the previous books. I felt very comfortable with the team of detectives as they worked together. This is a fast-paced story, as murder and secrets always bring intrigue. A most excellent plot, fantastic characters, surprising twists-and-turns, and a stunning conclusion all parlay this into a very quick read, one which I completed in one sitting. I most definitely look forward to following any remaining titles in this series.

Many thanks to Joffe Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have discovered lots of good authors via Joffe Books. Janice Frost is one such author. I have been a fan of hers for quite a while now and I eagerly read each and every book that she releases. When I found out that Janice was due to release ‘Dirty Secrets’, I knew it was one book that I just had to clear the decks to read. I am so glad I did as I absolutely loved ‘Dirty Secrets’ but more about that in a bit.
I loved the characters of DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry. DI Neal is a career police officer, who works seriously long hours. DI Neal is the sort of boss you would like to work for. He is kind, he is generous, he is supportive, he takes an equal share of the workload and he wouldn’t ask you to do anything that he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. He works well as part of a team but he can work equally well on his own. Neal shares a close working relationship with DS Ava Merry and they are that close that it was almost like they are brother and sister. Merry worries about Neal and never more so than when she realises that his ex-girlfriend is back on the scene and trying to get back with Neal. Neal’s sister is equally worried about him. DS Merry is one feisty, stubborn and courageous young woman. She is another one who works well either on her own or as part of a team. She tries to be as supportive as she can be to the other officers in her team. I especially liked the way in which she cares about DI Neal and the way in which she cares about another officer, whose boyfriend has a cancer scare.
The rest of the main characters in this book are a shifty bunch and I didn’t trust any of them. Each and every one of them are hiding secrets and they have several dozen skeletons in the closet. Some of them couldn’t tell the truth if their lives depended on it. The frustrating thing for the police is the fact they know that people are hiding things from them, which is a seriously bad move. It’s left to the police to unpick the tangled web that has been weaved.
Blimey oh riley I was hooked on this book from the moment I began to read. I just couldn’t get enough of this book and I even tried to ration how much I read all at once, because the intention was to prolong the enjoyment of the book but that intention soon went out of the window. I binge read the book in one sitting. I guess (no make that I know) that I am such a nebby Nora (a nosy person) that I just had to read on so I could snoop into other people’s lives, find out all their deepest and darkest secrets and watch the skeletons come tumbling out of the closet. The page numbers just flew past in a blur and before I knew what was happening I had finished the book, which I was so disappointed about, because I was enjoying the writing style, the storylines and the diverse set of characters so much that I just wanted the book to continue. I thought that only a couple of hours had passed so imagine my surprise when I found out that 4 and a bit hours had flown by. I love Janice’s writing style and the way in which you know that a surprise of one, way, shape or form is waiting for you just over the page. The author’s writing style is so realistic and vivid that reading this book was the literary equivalent of watching a police drama on the television. All the action is playing out in front of your eyes and you find yourself interacting with the book, as if the characters can hear you. I smugly thought that I had worked out who had done what and why, only to discover that I had completely got the wrong end of the stick and the real answers were down another path entirely.
Although this is the fifth book in the Neal & Merry series, it can be read as a standalone and you don’t need to have read the previous four for this book to make sense. As I am a bit OCD, I fully intend to dig out the other four books from my ever increasing ‘TBR’ mountain and reading the series in order.
In short I absolutely loved reading ‘Dirty Secrets’. ‘Dirty Secrets’ is one of those books that reels you in like a fish, captures your interest, grabs you by the throat and won’t let you go until you have finished reading the book. I wholeheartedly recommend this author and this series to anybody. I can’t wait to read what comes next from Janice Frost’s ever so slightly twisted mind. Here’s hoping that I don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.