Ethel Crestwater runs a boardinghouse for government agents and law enforcement officers--plus her distant cousin, Jesse, who has recently started at university. When one of her boarders, a Secret Service agent, is killed in her front yard, her young cousin gets a first-hand lesson in how to track down the bad guys. It turns out that Ethel is much more than she seems, and when Jesse is attacked, she won't stop at anything to see justice done.

Action-packed, from page one. This book reads like a procedural TV show: it's all about the steps that the investigators took along the way and not so much about the development of any of the characters. I was surprised that not many people actually underestimated Ethel (despite the publisher's description), mostly because she is apparently a legend among the DMV law enforcement communities and all the characters are among their ranks. I found the geography as described to be quite accurate, and followed along as the characters moved around and observed what I observe living here in that area. Some details of jurisdiction and technology weren't completely accurate, but overall it wasn't distracting. I appreciated the portrayal of the typical wrestling for control, jurisdiction, and what information to share and what to hide that happens all the time among the various agencies and entities (federal, state, and local). Also, there was a nice muddying of the waters by the dirty officers or agents that we spend much of the book trying to discover. It was particularly interesting to see the event and subsequent investigation unfold from the perspectives of the boarders and law enforcement individuals, all of which are connected in some way to a previous theft investigation. I would say this is a good read for fans of shows like Law and Order.

I’ve enjoyed previous novels by Mr. de Castrique, so I looked forward to reading this ARC offered by the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley.

The start of a new series, this features Ethel, a 75-year-old who’s mighty frisky for her age. She runs a boarding house outside DC for federal agents who need a temporary home near the center of government. I didn’t know that was a thing! We also learn that she has a backstory as one of the earliest female agents, whose father was also in the FBI. Gradually we learn more about her history and meet her motley group of friends. Some of her earlier tenants are now placed in the highest levels of different police agencies.

Ethel introduces her young double-cousin (you’ll get the definition in the novel) Jesse to the thrills of investigation. Together, they dig into a murder mystery laced with crypto schemes and competing branches of government. Who’s guilty? Who’s corrupt?

The story has enough twists and action to keep the reader interested. There are moments of suspended disbelief but they’re balanced by the adventure. Ethel is the moral center of this story, as she manages plenty of senior government officials to protect the more helpless and punish the wicked.

There’s lots of room for more stories, as we dig into Ethel’s early adventures and watch her mentor young Jesse. I give this 3.5 stars, rounded down, and look forward to enjoying the next entry in this series.

A fun little mystery with a badass 75 yr old fmc, Ethel. I loved Ethel. The mystery had everything to do with cryptocurrency which truth be told didn’t hold my interest but Ethel did. Ethel was quick, sassy and smarter than everyone. I would definitely read another Ethel Fiona Crestwater novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for and eARC of this book.

A fun and engaging mystery. A little heavy on the details of cryptocurrency for the uninitiated. Always an intriguing story of the supposed interaction beteeen government agencies. Hope this becomes a series.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

This is a pretty good story. A fair amount of ups and downs, and some nice surprises. I didn't like it quite as much as I'd hoped, but it's still above average. I think a lot of mystery fans will like this one.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

. Ethel Crestwater , a former agent , runs a boarding house outside of Washington D.C. with young agents, FBI & Secret Service, as boarders as well as her cousin , Jesse Cooper. Ethel and Jesse find boarder, Jonathan Finch, bleeding and almost dead outside the building. Jonathan’s last words to Jesse is “Tell Ethel, tell Ethel the secret.” Now Ethel and Jesse look for Jonathan’s killer that will lead them to the secret. I really enjoyed this book and thanks to #Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC.

Ethel Crestwater is a 75 year old former FBI agent running a boardinghouse in Arlington, VA for secret service and FBI agents. Her distant relative Jesse, a college student, also lives there. When one of her boarders is killed, she springs into action and investigates the murder, using her formidable skills and intellect. The plot center on counterfeit money and cryptocurrency, which honesty sometimes went a little over my head, but I still really enjoyed this mystery. Ethel and Jesse were enjoyable characters and a good team and this was a fun read.

I really liked the main character Ethel, but the part of the story that lost me was the plot of the cryptocurrency. I don't understand how cryptocurrency works and I wouldn't have picked out the book if I knew. I really thought the book would be like Only Murders in the Building, and Rear Window but those expectations weren't met so I didn't enjoy this book as much. I don't think I was the right audience for this book.

This is a really interesting premise for a mystery involving the FBI and Secret Service.—the protagonist is a woman who seems like a sweet grandmother and rents rooms in her house to agents, but she is not what she seems. The plot involves the murder of a Secret Service agent, the discovery of counterfeit bills and bitcoin wallets, and a wide cast of characters who perhaps cannot be trusted. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and the story was very engaging. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book by an author I’ve not read before.

Secret Lives by Mark de Castrique is an awesome thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The book is firmly grounded and very believable, with complex characters and an intricate plot.

The thing I liked most about this book was the characters—especially Edith. I love a strong female lead, and Edith was surprising and very human. Edith is an elderly landlady, a former FBI agent, and our clever detective. She carries this story from start to finish.

An unexpected benefit of reading this book was that I learned a fair bit about cryptocurrency. The story follows a group of FBI and Secret Service agents through a murder investigation, which is mixed up with a financial fraud case. Cryptocurrency is a big feature here, including how to exchange it, how to access it, and how to protect it. Whether or not the details provided in the book are accurate (which is beyond me), it felt believable and real to me.

To keep the mystery going, the author casts suspicion on several different characters. There were several moments in the book when I thought I’d figured it out, but I kept guessing until the climax, when the true villain is unveiled.

Ultimately, I gave this book 5 stars. It is excellently written, the characters are complex, and the mystery is a wild ride.

Secret Lives is a new series by Marc De Castrique. Ethel runs a boarding house for agents. Secret, FBI and so on. Her cousin Jesse lives at the house too going to college.
One of the boarders, a secret service agent is killed – Ethel and Jesse start working on the case.
Ethel is seventy-five and has a long past involving secret, CIA, and other agencies. I thought the story and mystery was particularly good. I will read the next one in the series so I can learn more about the characters in the book. There were so many there was not time to flesh them out. I do recommend the book and his other series too.

Start date: July 25, 2022
Finish date: July 28, 2022
Release date: October 11, 2022

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

▫️quirky, fun, & intelligent 75 year-old MC 👵🏻
▫️secret agents 🤫
▫️murder 🔪
▫️cryptocurrency 💰

This currently has an excellent rating on GR, so clearly I’m in the minority with 3 ⭐️, but here’s my review of Secret Lives!

First things first: I loved Ethel. She’s so much fun and really smart, I really enjoyed following her logic throughout this book. Her backstory was interesting too! I would have loved to have more Ethel & less… other stuff.

I think when it comes down to it, this book just didn’t introduce all of the characters as well as I would have liked, so I wasn’t always sure who was who 🤷🏻‍♀️. I think the plot was good, but I wasn’t really invested until the last 20-25%.

At 75 years of age, Ethel Crestwater appears to have retired from her earlier life as an FBI agent as the owner of a small boardinghouse in Arlington, Virginia. Ethel is far from done with work, however, as she provides room & board to existing Secret Service and FBI agents, and has the heads of both agencies on speed dial. When Jonathan Finch, one of her boarders and a Secret Service agent, is murdered at 4am right outside of her boardinghouse, Ethel and Jesse Cooper (her double first cousin twice removed) immediately spring into action - just as nearly everyone else seems to. What follows is a fast-paced story that dives into the world of cryptocurrency, counterfeit money, and some of the intricacies amongst these government agencies.

Although this is a relatively shorter novel, there's a lot that's packed into it - and not only just the main storyline involving the murder of Jonathan Finch, but backstory on Ethel and Jesse, Ethel's history and relationship to the heads of the Secret Service and FBI, and a number of other agents and detectives that are involved in the case. This can certainly be good for some, but I struggled at times to keep track of all the names and individuals, as well as their relationships to each other. While the author also gave some background on the cryptocurrency and how virtual wallets and transactions work, I think those who have little familiarity with it would struggle to understand some of key points throughout.

I did, however, love the main cast of characters, especially Fiona Crestwater - she's a highly adept and intelligent individual who clearly doesn't let her age interfere in her willingness or ability to get involved in situations she feels passionate about. I also enjoyed the writing overall and would be curious about future novels if this becomes a series!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free review.

Unfortunately, this book hinged on the reader thinking a former government agent still being capable at 75 was a marvel. The plot was a little plodding and none of the characters were actually as riveting or fully-developed.

Enjoyed the writing on this one. The beginning sucked me in so I think it’s a good book for people who need a fast paced plot from the beginning.

I was confused the entire time and need to re-read chapters and passages to see whose POV am I reading. The characters in this one are so flat and interchangeable, it made the reading experience of this book bad for me. There's no tension and any sense of urgency for the readers to catchup and read more pages so that we can uncover what happened with the murder of Jonathan. The writing style of the author definitely is not for me. This is a thriller book, where's the thrilling part?

Secret Lives by Mark de Castrique was secretly lackluster. I was really intrigued when I read the synopsis of the book. The story is about an old woman, Ethel, who used to be a spy agent and now runs a boarding house to government agents and those working in the Secret Service. When a shocking crime happens, it's Ethel who secretly takes over and tries to solve the crime. It is such a unique concept to have a old, unassuming woman to solve secret spy crimes that I was immediately hooked. The cover of the book was also very well done as it was both mysterious and simple. The book had some really strong positives, but it had several big negatives that detracted too much from the book for me to rate it higher than 2 stars.

First off, the book's strong suit was the characters. Ethel was great as she would use other people's assumptions of her appearance against her. Who would that a little old lady is tracking them or interrogating them? She also had such a huge wealth of surprising spy tips and tricks that it was great to read and discover them as they were happening. Her sarcastic nature and commentary was very humorous, and I really enjoyed it. She is definitely a character that people can connect with when they read. I also enjoyed her long-distantly related relative, Jesse, who was a smart, college-student. He acted as the reader in a way as he was unfamiliar with the world of espionage, and it allowed the author to explain more as to what was happening.

Not only were the characters great, but the concept and the plot were solid. The mystery that goes on with an assault and a murder is shocking, and I wanted to learn who did it as they seemed unrelated. The fact that a little old retired spy agent was solving it better than the real government investigation was all the more appealing and entertaining. There were also a fair amount of twists and surprises that I wasn't expecting, and it keeps you on your toes. One issue that I had with the plot was that a major part centered on electronic encrypted currency such as bitcoin. As someone who doesn't keep up with that nor has an expert level of understanding as to how digital currency like that works, the plot was difficult to muddle through at times. I felt confused at several points as to what they were referring to as they never gave a simple definition as to how it all worked. In that way, a major part of the plot went unappreciated by me as I couldn't understand any nuances. It was only in the couple small re-caps of information that characters would share with each other about the case was I able to understand what had happened. I wish more care had been given to describing difficult concepts regarding the case so that people with no previous knowledge could follow the plot better.

Unfortunately, the narration, dialogue, and writing style was where I had the hardest time connecting to this book. The narration had multiple, shifting points of view or POVs. I appreciated this in that I could get inside Ethel's mind and in the next second, see the same scene from Jesse's POV who didn't understand what was going on. It kept things interesting as you never knew who was going to be narrating next. The biggest takeaway to the switching POV was that it wasn't always clear WHEN it was switching to someone else. This was more the case when the POV would switch mid-chapter. It wasn't until several confusing paragraphs in when I realized who was speaking and what they were talking about. I feel like in this instance a clear stamp of the person's name before every switch would have been really helpful to have.
Further, the narrative writing style didn't really change. Unless it was Jesse or Ethel, the narration all felt like it was written by the same person even though many characters' POVs were authored. The fact that the writing style felt like it was all the same person is a big issue for me in a multiple POV book. Not only was the narration from character to character the same, the dialogue was too. Ethel and Jesse were the only character who I always knew was speaking, with or without a dialogue tag. Every other character sounded exactly the same as one another. I understand that most of the characters were supposed to be highly trained agents, so there will be some overlap in terms or mannerisms. On the other hand, everyone is unique and talks differently in real life. I should know who is talking just be reading their dialogue. Because of this, the dialogue, and subsequent plot, was hard to follow as I didn't know who was speaking. It was also hard to connect to anyone other than the main two characters when they all sounded like the same person.
In the end, this book has a lot of potential and good aspects going for it. I liked the characters and the entire concept. The book itself had several issues with the way that it was written which made it feel unfinished and hard to understand. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but I also wouldn't shoo anyone away from it who was interested in it.

Ethel Crestwater is a 75-year-old building owner who rents out to law enforcement agents and her own family member Jesse. When one of her boarders is murdered, she takes it upon herself to solve the murder and brings Jesse with her who has no idea what he's gotten himself into.
This book surprised me. I started this book and was immediately drawn in by the main cast of characters who were diverse in personalities and what they had to offer to the investigation. The book was exciting and enjoyable, and Ethel Crestwater was entertaining because you had no idea what she would do or say next. The first 2/3 of the book were on and off in pacing and suddenly in the last third you absolutely had to stay to find out the answer to the investigation. One of the characters does a complete twist you would not expect in the slightest. This book was very very good,

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.