New to me author Elizabeth Rose has delivered a cracking Australian rural suspense in The Secret That Lies Within. Set in southern NSW the story is centred around divorcee Abbie, who’s moved to Taylors Bend to start a new life after going through the mill when she discovered her husband of many years was also a serial rapist.
Abbie is a talented and sought-after artist and finds the tranquil yet remote property she has bought is perfect both for allowing her to heal and for enabling her to create the landscape paintings for which she is so highly regarded. A series of unexplained and increasingly unsettling events play havoc with Abbie’s tranquility and as these are investigated by local police officer Rupert Perry the friendly relationship the two have shared in the past slowly develops to something more.
This story had so much to keep me both interested and curious. First of all there were the things that happened to Abbie, and going into details would be to spoil the story for others. Suffice to say the terror ramped up as the story progressed. Secondly though there was Abbie’s previously strained relationship with her daughter Georgia, a result of Abbie’s divorce from Georgia’s father. There were plenty of fences to mend here and these helped to round out Abbie as a very genuine character. Thirdly there was the way the community of Taylor’s Bend rallied around Abbie as her world slowly fell apart. I love the sense of neighbourly concern that pervades country towns and Taylor’s Bend is packed with good neighbours. These people might gossip about each other, but when adversity strikes, this is a community that protects its own.
I really struggled to put this book down when life got in the way. The story was packed with hooks to keep me reading and paced to perfection. I loved it and will happily look out for more from Elizabeth Rose in the future.

I found The Secrets that Lie Within to be an okay book, not a favorite and a very slow read. It never felt like it was going to pick up speed or completely capture my interest. After seven chapters, I honestly turned to the back of the book just to see where it was heading.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book wasn't horrible buuuut wasn't the greatest either. I was intrigued by the blurb and when I started I was enticed but then it started losing my interest. The cop one of the main characters didn't really feel like he knew what was going on and so I lost interest in him. And I like romance books that is what I will always go for, doesn't but didn't feel like these two really had much of a connection, yes I understood the baggage that she came from who wouldn't but it was a slow burn I like a little more heat.