Three couples rent a vacation residence for the week their children are attending camp. Although the couples are all neighbors, they really don't know each other very well.

Throw in an abundance of alcohol into the mix and the differences among them are glaring. There's a doctor, a lawyer, a housewife, an abusive husband, a workaholic, and at least one person who's having an affair.

The next morning, a dead body is seen on the private beach. It will be Detective Gabby Watkins who will have to comb through everyone's private lives to find the killer. What she finds is that each and every one of the people sharing the house have a secret ... one someone might kill to keep quiet.

CON: The one and only thing I found unsatisfactory is an instance where the abusive husband, in a fit of anger, calls his wife by another woman's name. There is no character in the book that has this name. I would have liked to see some kind of explanation .. but nothing more was forthcoming.

Otherwise, this is a well written, intense, psychological thriller. There's a cast of six who may or not be what they want the others to see. Many secrets are to be discovered. This was a riveting read .... not soon to be forgotten.

Many thanks to the author / Crooked Lane Books / Netgalley for this intriguing novel. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Ok soooo I really liked this and to me it was fast paced and to the point which I liked, but I do feel like I needed a little more time with our couples. I definitely didn't think who did it, was the one who did it, but damn I wanted the confession. The couples sure knew a lot about each other fast and it was complicated and the secrets just kept coming out. Very good book!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

"One Little Secret" was a great psychological "who done it" mystery. I really liked learning about all of the characters. I think that Holahan really addresses issues like domestic violence and women vs women hatred in ways that are fresh and give a nice perspective. This novel was a quick read and it would be perfect for a beach getaway!

When three families plan a beach trip, they will learn how intermingled their lives really are. Secrets will arise, some deadly. Jenny and Louis, Susan and Nadal, and Rachel and Ben are all beautiful, successful couples who are renting a beach house together while their children are away at summer camp. When secrets and betrayals are brought to light and someone is murdered, everyone is left pointing the finger at someone else. This is a tale of mystery, but also a look at society and how we want to seem perfect on the outside to everyone, even ones who are closest to us.

This book had so many layers with twists and turns! I couldn’t put it down! Great story that keeps you guessing!

Part thriller and part mystery, this is a story of three couples who rent a beach house. As the story unfolds, you begin to learn about how entwined their lives and relationships are. The story goes back and forth between their vacation and an unexplainable murder and a house party that is elsewhere on the beach. I felt it was interesting enough to find out the murderer (which I guessed sort of early on), but didn’t understand why the other story was being told. Overall a good read!

3.5 stars
REVIEW:

I was really looking forward to the newest release by Cate Holahan, One Little Secret. I really enjoyed her previous novel, Lies She Told, but this fell more along the rating of The Widower’s Wife for me, a mystery that was satisfactory, but not thrilling. There were definitely aspects of this story that were intriguing and kept me reading. I enjoyed the three points of view: the day before, the day of, and the day after, which propelled the plot forward. But all of the characters were such a mess and so unlikeable, in my opinion, creating havoc in their lives and marriages, that it was hard to feel sympathetic and care about them or their outcomes. I was surprised that mere friendly acquaintances would reveal so much of themselves to others so suddenly. It also felt rather unrealistic. What are the odds that so many people with so many issues would all come together? Maybe it was the neighborhood.

It started as a neighborly getaway and chance to bond with one another while the kids were all at summer camp. Three couples, who lived near one another, headed off to a house rental they would all share on the Long Island shore to enjoy a week away. But instead of enjoying their time together, child-free, they drank too much, secrets were revealed, tempers flared and the worst happened. The story begins with a murder and from that point on, the story unravels the mystery of who dunnit, while also revealing the many hidden problems and secrets of all the neighbors.

While the premise was interesting, and it did contain its share of twists, turns and surprises, I found the author’s writing a bit choppy and difficult to follow, lacking the flow of Lies She Told. I also didn’t quite understand why the mystery that Detective Gabby Watkins was investigating alongside this one was included, other than for a minor tie-in. I did find the title ironic because there was in this story, truly a deluge of secrets.

All-in-all, I know that this story will appeal to many with its “locked room” type scenario, as the many rave reviews attest to, its many secrets and the host of unreliable, problematic characters. I was intrigued enough to read it to completion to see how things wrapped up and the mystery was solved. But given the unsavory characters and lack of flow to the narrative, it wasn’t all I had hoped it would be.

This book by Cate Holahan was as intriguing as the characters were fishy. A cleverly depicted locked room mystery (without the actual locked room). 3 couples from the same neighbourhood decide to have some good old children free time in a private beach but vacation turned into nightmare when their secrets and past comes into view at dinners. and then in the morning, one of the women is found murdered near the beach. And the murderer is one of them.

What I loved :
The best thing about this book apart from the story was the writting and the structure, Holahan alternates the story between 'Day of' and 'Day after'; along with this the fluid and vivid writing keeps the reader on their shoe. It is also very engaging without unnecessary info dumping, which makes the book easy to read.

The characters were pretty real and vivid. Their insecurities, their personalities, and their traits made them more flexible and realistic.

A number of sensitive issues were discussed without much problems in apparent ease even though they were not exactly in the main stream. There were examples of sexual abuse, autism, malpractice by doctors, lawsuits etc. They were discussed without getting awkward and unnecassary informations which in no way lead the story forward.

"Life began in an amniotic sac, but it could end in the shallows"

What I didnt Like :
As much interesting as it was, i cant deny it was a bit predictable as well. The twists and turns could be seen from miles away and mostly they were circumstancial without much foreshadowing. The characters were despicable for most of the time. A locked room mystery where you cannot root for any character because all of them are pretty shitty including the victim. I cant stop wondering if someone among the six had done something(anything) differently, they would not have died at all.

"All I'm saying is that maybe we're all a little responsible when we turn a blind eye."

A good murder mystery book, with enough doubt to keep you guessing until the end. Focussing around a group of neighbours taking a holiday in the Hamptons, you follow a detective trying to find out whether one of them murdered another and why. Some of the storylines were predictable, others were more surprising. I enjoyed this book.

Told in alternating time lines (well, three days- before, day of, day after) and third person narration, this is the story of an unwise vacation. Susan rents a beach house and then persuades two other couples to join her and her husband for a week. Sounds like a good idea. Well, it might have been if everyone hadn't started drinking, a lot. A lot of bad stuff spills out in confessional format but someone- who is it- ends up dead on the Bech. Holohan drops clues on this so you'll know (or can guess) early on but then you'll stay to work with Detective Gabby Watkins to find out why. And who did it. That you might not guess. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Talk about a beach book!

3 1/2 ⭐️‘s
When three neighborhood couples rent a beach house together for a get to know you better week, things quickly escalate and someone is found dead on the beach. As the story progresses, we learn that every one had a motive, but who is the real killer? A good whodunnit by Holahan.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cate Holahan and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

Woooooow. This was such a great book! I thought I had it figured out towards the middle of the book, but nope. I was completely wrong! An exciting, thrilling story. Loved it!

I am becoming a big fan of Cate Holahan. After reading 'Lies She Told" I was very excited to get my hands on her new book "One Little Secret". And once again, I was not disappointed by the story.

When three couples arrived at a glass house for a short getaway, they never thought that their vacation will end with a murder. Each guest of the house carries a secret, and some even share a few...

At the end of the night, one of them is dead... and every person left in the house has a motive.

Honestly, I was not impressed with Detective Gabby's approaches to the case. And her family's involvement. However, I was glued to the pages of the book by multiple twists that connected the three couples.

"One Little Secret" is a captivating mystery novel that keeps amusing the reader with new twists with every chapter. I had a really hard time predicting the ending and must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the finale. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books Publisher for an advanced free copy of the novel.

Wow- I devoured One Little Secret in a few hours. If you like a fast paced whodunnit book then this one is a must read!

Three couples rent a beach house in the Hamptons for a week while their kids are away at summer camp. They are all neighbors and as a group they have underlying tension and explosive secrets. When one of the wives is found dead on the beach, the remaining group all become suspects. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed and many are woven together to continually build suspense. I couldn’t put this book down, I needed to know what happened and who did it.

This was my first book by Cate Holahan and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from her. She had my full attention at page one and it never wavered. This thriller is the perfect summer read.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance reading copy. This book will be published on 7/9/19.

Thank you #crookedlanebooks and #netgalley for the advance copy of #onelittlesecert in exchange for an honest review. Published date set for July 19th 2019.
One little secret by Cate Holahan was a locked room mystery, a viscous triangle of three couples who go to the beach together for a getaway week. One of them turns up dead. Everyone has a secret, is it worth dying for? Is it worth killing for? One little secret is full of lies, deceit, suspicion, that will keep you turning the pages. 4 out of 5 stars from me. Hope you like it as much as I did.

Pros: Interesting storytelling, easy to follow plot, twists and surprises along the way, and ending ties up well.

Cons: While a decent read, it was also a bit forgettable.

Enjoyed.

Six neighbors on vacation in the same house in the Hamptons Add booze. and what can go wrong? One night of confessions leads to a murder. This book is well thought out and the plot twists and turns more than a snake. It kept me up reading all night. Go buy it.

This is a good book, but it doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel. I liked it but I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters. However, if you're a fan of domestic thrillers and mysteries or you liked Big Little Lies, then I'd recommend it.

This was a complimentary copy from net galley - thank you

LOVED this - could not put down - read this in 1 sitting late into the night - cannot give a better recommendation!!

The premise has been done before - family goes on holiday, someone dies, who was it?

BUT, this was tense, fast paced, gripping and most importantly unpredictable. Lots of conflict, jealousy, domestic abuse, infidelity - so much - it was fantastic!!!

Well written, amazing characters, there are clues throughout but you won't know till the end - THEN you will need to read it again so you can find all the clues leading up to the unexpected ending

This definitely needs to be in your bag for your summer holiday - but it would make a fantastic film

Can't rate this highly enough - now off to read again !!

This novel was good, but I didn't love it. I never felt a real connection to any of the characters, and that might simply be because I'm not married and I don't have any kids, so I don't know what the need for an escape vacation without kids is like. The characters were rather self-absorbed, so I didn't feel sorry for any of them or want to know what would happen next in their lives. I didn't guess the ending, which is always good, but it was a pretty average book overall.

When I started this book I was confused about who was married to whom and what was going on. I am not a fan of the back and forth style writing between then and now. I did enjoy the book and it kept me guessing with each twist and turn.
Thanks Net Galley for providing this book for an unbiased review.