I absolutely love to discover new authors and Jackie Walsh is certainly a new author for me. Having enjoyed reading 'The Secrets He Kept' as much as I did, I will most definitely be reading more of Jackie's work in the future. I absolutely LOVED reading 'The Secrets He Kept' but more about that in a bit.
I can't really say that I took to Sally or warmed to her in any way. That said I did feel quite sorry for her. She has what outwardly appears to be the perfect life. She has a husband and she has three gorgeous children. There's a bit of an age gap between the eldest child and the twins but that doesn't really bother her. It's clear that something happened earlier on in the marriage and Sally was left to mop up the damage as it were. We don't get to find out what it is straightaway. Sally and her husband Tom seem to have been relatively happy since then. However that all changes following an intriguing discovery. Sally sees a picture of her husband with his arm round a young lad whilst she is styling somebody's hair. Sally asks who the man is and it turns out that he is the father of the customer's boyfriend. Well as you can imagine this turns everything that Sally had believed to be true upside down and back to front. Sally doesn't know who or what to believe, but she sets out to find out what the truth about her husband really is. What does Sally find out? Is Tom who he claims to be? Is there a twist to the tale? Well for the answers to those questions and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
OMG, I was hooked on this book from the synopsis alone and reading 'The Secrets He Kept' soon became an addiction. I would pick up the book only intending to read a couple of chapters but I would still be sat there reading over an hour later and I had read far more than any couple of chapters. I had my own suspicions as to what the truth was but I had to keep reading to discover if my suspicions were correct or otherwise. The pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out the truth steadily grew and grew. At one point the pages were turning that quickly that the page numbers became a blur. I reached the end of 'The Secrets He Kept' far quicker than I had anticipated or wanted. I don't mean that in a negative way. I was enjoying the author's writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just didn't want the book to end. For me, 'The Secrets He Kept' really is an unputdownable page turner of a book.
'The Secrets He Kept' really is brilliantly written. Jackie certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and once she has your attention she will not let it go until the moment you close the back cover of the book. Jackie certainly knows how to mess with your head a bit and she certainly kept me guessing. I was gripped by the story and on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Jackie uses such vivid and powerful descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story. I found that I was getting far too involved with the story at times. I was all for jumping inside the pages of the book to chase Tom with a pair of blunt and rusty scissors. See I told you I was getting far too involved.
Reading 'The Secrets He Kept' was much like being on a rather scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. There were several times where I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next.
In short, 'The Secrets He Kept' really is a brilliant, unputdownable, page turner of a book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. Now I know how fantastic a writer Jackie is, I will definitely be reading more of her work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The day that Sally Cooper`s secure life was shattered into a million tiny pieces started like every other working day. It began with the predictable mad rush to get her three children out of bed,fed and ready for their day and then it was time for Sally`s transformation from wife and mother to Sally the Hairdresser. Sally loved her job,it gave her the opportunity to have a break from the responsibilities of being a mother. She loved laughing and interacting with her work colleagues and their customers. All was perfect in Sally`s world until her first customer of the day showed her a picture of her boyfriend and his father. Sally is shocked and astonished when she realises that the man looks uncannily like her husband Tom.

Sally finds herself facing a impossible dilemma,should she confront Tom, find out the truth or keep her contented life? Sally is about to discover that even those closest to us have secrets....and that sometimes the truth is the last thing we want to hear.

This fast paced,enthralling thriller is mainly voiced from Sally`s point of view and the reader is launched into the action from the end of the first chapter. Despite her having some redeemable qualities,I can't say that I thought Sally was a very likeable character. But who can honestly say how they would react if they found themselves facing the same dilemmas as she did. I most definitely didn't like her selfish,deceitful,lying,scumbag of a husband. I loved the mixed bag of diverse personalities who worked with Sally at the hairdressers and Elsie, the homeless lady who sat outside the shop. I loved how they all sprang into action when Sally needed their help.

The Secrets He Kept is packed full of twists and turns and many of the chapters ended on a cliff-hanger,giving the reader a very bad case of Just one more chapter syndrome. It's a very well written mix of domestic drama,intrigue,thriller and murder mystery that hooks the reader in from the first page,keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages. I loved this fast paced,page turner and didn't want to put it down. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this thrilling story. Very very highly recommended.

The premise of this book caught my eye, and it was certainly suspenseful. Lots of twists and chapters that leave you wondering what will happen next. The ending was a bit predictable but perhaps after reading thousands of books it is getting harder for me to read something different, therefore this did not detract from my enjoyment.

Wow -- this was a roller coaster ride filled with tension and suspense -- I started it late this evening and couldn't put it down until I reached the end!

What if your husband had a huge secret and you found out while at work one day? That's what happens to Sally Cooper. She sees a picture of her darling husband, Tom, the father of her 3 children, with his arms around a teenaged boy. A stranger. The customer who's showing the picture says that it's her boyfriend and his dad. HIS DAD???? Tom has a son? In shock, Sally goes home to confront Tom and that's when her nightmare begins. NO SPOILERS.

The story kicks off quickly and it doesn't let up as there are surprises with nearly every turn of the page. The characters draw you in and you start guessing about where this might be going. Secrets and lies in a family never turn out to be good things, do they? Filled with drama, the narrative keeps the adrenalin pumped until the shattering conclusion. I really enjoyed this psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

While I wanted to like this book, I just couldn't connect with the characters. Sally was a spineless woman, Tom is completely and utterly unlikeable and the daughter was such a brat.

The writing overall, was not bad. The overall idea was interesting but the plot had way too much drama and unnecessary twists and turns that felt forced.

I enjoyed this book. The author catches your attention right from the start when Sal who is a hairdresser is shown a picture of her. Clients boyfriend with his Dad. Trouble is the person she says is his Dad happens to be Sal's husband Tom!

From then onwards Sal tries to find out what is going on, picking through all the lies and betrayals she never knew existed. Meantime carrying on her role as a working mum to their teenage girl and 3 year old twins.

Sally was far too patient and caring in my opinion.. Tom was weak and told lies instead of dealing with reality. A few red herrings along the way made this very readable. Having said that I am not sure that this is a psychological thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hera Books and the author for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

Sally works as a hairdresser, where she meets all kinds of different people. When a young girl walks in, she innocently shows Sally a picture of her boyfriend and his father. What Sally sees is a picture of a boy standing next to Sally's husband.... but he doesn't have a son ... .does he?

What Sally discovers is that her husband, Tom, has been hiding secrets.. and he's not the only one in the family. As Sally decides what to do she discovers that the truth is the last thing she wants to hear.

This is a well written psychological drama featuring finely developed characters and twists and turns that keep the reader riveted to the well crafted story premise.

Many thanks to the author / Hera Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE SECRETS HE KEPT. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Yikes. I don't even know where to start with this one. What a twisty and crazy story! I kept thinking I had the ending figured out, but then something would twist and turn.

The characters were interesting, to say the least. Let's start with Sally. She seriously needed to grow a backbone. She should have left Tom years ago, but I digress......And Tom. Ugh. What a horribly unlikeable character! I literally couldn't stand him. He has absolutely no respect for his wife AT ALL. The teenaged daughter was a brat. Sorry, but she was. Together, they make a hot mess family, but that made the story more interesting!

Sally has a wonderful husband Tom and 3 children, Amber her sometimes obnoxious teen, and 2 little boys Cian and Aaron. Sally works as a hairstylist and everything in her life is running smoothly, that is, until the day one of her clients shows her a picture that will completely turn Sally's life upside down.
Just how well do you know your husband. Sally slowly learns things about Tom that she never dreams possible and their lives will never be the same again.
A great book, a fast read and interesting to the end.

When Sally, a mother of three, finds out her husband could have a child she doesn’t know about, her whole world gets rocked. She starts to question everything and everyone around her, even her own husband. Did he know and if so, for how long and why not tell her? Then, a murder occurs. Who died and why is a good twist. Everyone in this family seems to have secrets and lies. My only complaint is the ending kinda leaves you hanging, other than that, a fast paced mystery that makes you want to keep reading until you found out the truth!

The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh is about the reveal of a secret that could tear a family apart. Sally, is a happily married mother of a teenage daughter and twin boys. One day, a client shows Sally, a hairstylist, a family photograph of her boyfriend. In that moment, Sally discovers her husband Tom has a secret child, a teenage son from before their marriage.

This story just follows Sally's search for the truth and explores family struggles and drama. I really wanted to like this book and it started off good, an easy read, but about 25% into the book, I couldn't stand any of the characters. The husband was just a compulsive liar, the teenage daughter was annoying, and Sally was a pushover. The story was drama on top of drama, and I did not feel like it had a clear plot line. The author tried to do something different with the ending, but I felt like it was unnecessary. I think the reader could draw conclusions alone. I would recommend the book, but don't have high hopes.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I did enjoy this book but I struggled with the main character, Sally. She’s married with three children to her husband Tom and thinks her life is perfect. One day she’s shown a photo with her husband and a boy she’s never heard of before. From here her whole family is on a rollercoaster ride to discover secrets being kept. I like the women in books to be strong and Sally is anything but.
Thanks to Hera books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheSecretsHeKept #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book, it gripped from the first pages and was hard to put down.
I read the author’s book Familiar Strangers and she just gets better I think.
Recommended read.

Great thriller....filled with drama, suspense, action, and lots of mystery.
Sally and Tom have a great marriage, with good and bad times like most everyone else. Out of the blue Sally discovers that Tom has a 16 year old son, Kenny, whose mother was just murdered in their home. As more and more information comes to light, Sally realizes just how many people are keeping secrets from her, and her husband's may not be the worst!
This book had tons of twists and turns and kept me guessing up until the last page. Great read!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great book!! The main character is so very realistic. A typical wife and mom. She is a hair dresser and one day one of her customers showed her a picture of her boyfriend and his dad. Everything goes crazy from here. I read this in one setting. It moves really fast and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. The ending was a little bit of a let down only because the author didn't go into any detail about the outcome of what happened to Great book highly recommended!!

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing book.

After reading a few books that I just couldn't get into, this had me gripped straight away.

The moment Sally sees a picture of her husband with a young boy,Kenny who apparently is his son, Sally's world 🌎 turns on its axis.

Determined to find the truth she confronts husband,Tom.

Tom says she's crazy. Then Kenny 's mum is murdered and the courts send Kenny to live with his father....Tom can't deny it any further.

Sally is left to pick up the pieces.

Great read, thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book,this is my honest opinion

This story took off brilliantly and I was hooked and intrigued by the premise. Set in Ireland, Sally the mother of three discovers her husband Tom might have a son she doesn’t know about. Does Tom know, does the boy know.? We are off and running within a handful of of pages when suddenly there is a murder. While I loved Sallys’ dark humour it was frustrating to keep reading her say/think ‘well, I will ask that question (that could move the plot along) in the morning or when I’m not so confused’. It happened so often, I actually looked for it. Otherwise, it was a solid four stars, but so easily could have been five.

Well this was a twisty ride and a half! It made me wonder how I would react if I discovered that my husband had been keeping secrets from me-especially if they were as explosive as the ones that Tom is keeping from Sally! Imagine going to work one day and whilst chatting away to your client she shows you a photo of her boyfriend. Sounds like a normal day at the hairdressers doesn’t it? But when Charlie points out her boyfriends dad…that’s when Sally’s world starts to fall apart as that man is her husband Tom.

This was a fast paced and twisty ride that kept me gripped from start to finish. It was the plot details that kept me invested in the storyline as I found nearly every character to be completely unlikeable! Sally was probably my favourite of the lot but I just wish she’d stood up to Tom and not listened to the crap that came out of his mouth!! She was far too eager to believe every excuse he used to brush off all her suspicions and backed down when I just wanted her to confront him for causing so much trouble in their previously quiet existence. If my husband had missed our twins birthday party and left me to deal with everything myself then I would have gone ballistic!! Especially when he came up with his ridiculous excuses once again. I started to wonder why they were still together as there didn’t seem to be any mutual trust or respect so I found their relationship rather difficult to understand and believe in.

Jackie Walsh can certainly write and it was her involving and well humoured narrative style that kept me glued to The Secrets He Kept. I thought the ending, although it seemed out of place with the previous style, was absolutely brilliantly crafted and was a perfect ending to this case. And whilst the plot seemed rather unbelievable at times, it certainly kept me addicted till the very last page.

I’m looking forward to reading more from Jackie Walsh in the near future!

I was very kindly sent this book as an ARC from Netgalley, and really enjoyed it.
The author gets straight into the book of Sally finding out her partner of 16 years has a secret child. If I was in that situation, I’m not sure how I would feel.
One thing that kept me wanting to read more was all the little lies Tom kept telling Sally. Every time he told her that he was now telling the truth it made me want to read on to find out whether he was in fact telling the truth or telling more lies.
Halfway through there are a few twists and turns which I didn’t predict. One of the twists involving their young son Aaron explaining what he saw gave me chills – again I put myself in the position of it happening to me and my family.
I didn’t warm to Sally very much – I found her quite self-centred. In the situation Tom had to try and keep his family happy but also support another child who’s going through something hard for a 16-year-old. Sally doesn’t very often see Tom’s side of things although I got the feeling that the author had created Sally to not be a very likeable character.
My only criticism of the book is I had to reread the last chapter a couple of times to actually understand who had done it.

I was intrigued by this book from the start and was loathe to put it down.
Sally has a good and trusting marriage and happy family life until her husband starts to lose her trust. Her discoveries about the lies her family tell her, and her determination to keep them safe at all costs from the mounting danger she perceives them to be in is totally immersive and thrilling. Unable to fully trust Tom, her husband, I could empathise with her sense of foreboding and isolation as she tries to uncover the truth. A totally believable nightmare situation, with suspicion constantly changing as the secrets and lies unfold. Whilst the ending wasn't a total shock, it was a riveting read to get there and the conclusion was shocking thought provoking. A highly recommended and enjoyable read which left me wanting to read more of Jackie Walsh's novels. My thanks to Hera Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book.