Thank you netgalley and Storm Publishing for this arc.

Book 2 following detective Margot Phalen and crew. I enjoyed the continuation of Margot's story and her interaction with her serial killer father. I felt the prostitute murder they had was wrapped up kind of quickly especially after the shooting that happened at the boyfriends apartment, but I suppose that is how some of these things go in real life!

I look forward to reading the next book, hopefully we'll get the muir woods case solved in that one.

I liked this story that included several cases, including a seemingly ongoing one dealing with a police officers serial killer father who offers clues as to where he’s hidden the bodies. Look forward to more.

I really enjoy this series, it is gritty and reminiscent of detective novels of a different era. In this one we continue following Dectice Margot as see dives deeper into her serial killer daddy's past and tries to put to bed one of California's most infamous cases.

I loved the journey this one took us on, can not wait to read more!

Margot has her own cases to solve and her father who is a convicted murderer contacts her again about a woman he had killed. Of course she wants nothing to do with her dad, but she needs to solve this young ladies case. It was a great new thriller, highly recommend this series!

I enjoyed the book, but I found that book didn’t bring that intensity that suspense or psychological- thrillers have. I at least thought that there would be some with Margo and Ed, but no. The story did have a fast pace to it in which I did like. There were three cases that Margo and Angel worked that had some bite to them. And Margo’s flashbacks to her farther Ed’s evil deeds were great. These were great adds to the book, but the book for me still felt like it had a flat line to it. What I mean is the book moved without emotion or feelings. It had action. I give the book that. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on! #Netgally #Goodreads #BookBub

Detective Margot Phalen has had a rough childhood but persevered and landed a successful career on the force. Her father, on the other hand, is locked away for the awful crimes he committed. As much as she puts the past behind her, he keeps trying to dig it back up. The story is well-written and gives you a sense of urgency and heart-pounding moments while you solve cases alongside Margot and her partner, Wes. I wished it touched more on the father's POV and history given the title, but I guess the book is not about him, it's about Margot and her present life. She deals with multiple cases at once, has a day-to-day life, and is trying to connect more with her brother. We'll see what happens in book 3 :)

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for a copy to read for an honest review.

"Her Father's Secret" by Kate Wiley is the second book in the series, and while it digs deeper into character development, it does have its ups and downs. I appreciated the exploration of Megan/Margot, Wes, Ed, Kim, and others, though some of the supporting characters seemed to add little to the overall story.

One aspect that didn’t quite land for me was the sexual tension between Margot and Wes. It felt unrealistic and, at times, a bit corny—though this might be due to my own preferences as someone who's not particularly drawn to romance in thrillers. Margot’s attraction to Wes often had me rolling my eyes, as I felt it detracted from her professional development.

While Margot is portrayed as a competent and well-respected cop, I found it frustrating that her character's depth outside of work remains underexplored and could do a lot given that her own father is the villian here. Given her role in the police force and her involvement with the FBI, I feel there’s a missed opportunity to develop her into a truly powerful figure without leaning into a romantic subplot with her partner. This flirtation, in my opinion, risks reinforcing stereotypes that could undermine her professionalism. However, there’s still hope that Wiley will take a different direction in book three—perhaps Margot will reject her partner's advances and continue to shine as the strong, independent woman she is.

Despite this criticism, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially the unraveling of Margot's (Megan's) family dynamic and the deeper insights into Kim’s character. The pacing is spot-on, keeping the story engaging and making it hard to put down. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where Wiley takes this series next—especially if she considers giving us more from Kim’s POV!

Overall, I give "Her Father's Secret" 4.5/5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

#HerFathersSecret #NetGalley #BookReview #KateWiley #ThrillerBooks #MustRead #BookSeries

This is the second book in the Margot Phalen series. I feel like you need to get a better understanding of the characters by reading the first book. Im hoping we get to read number 3. Highly recommend.

Detective Margot Phalen has a secret that most of her colleagues don't know - she is the daughter of infamous serial killer Ed Finch.
She receives a summons to prison to visit him, because he wants to get something off his chest, and will only speak to her.
Reluctantly, she attends and after many manipulating moves on his part, he finally gives up the resting place of one of his many victims...

Dealing with her father's legacy, is just one of the traumas Margot is going through at the moment, as there is a sniper on the loose in the city, seemingly targetting people at random. The streets of San Francisco are empty as fear spreads amongst the residents and tourists alike.
Can Margot and her team find the person behind these terrible attacks?

Margo's mental state is called into question because of all the things going on in her life, at the same time, and she is put on desk duty, which she finds frustrating.

I loved this book, and whilst it is the first one I have read by this author, it won't be the last. As this is the second in a series, I am going to purchase the first book, and the one after it too.
An excellect read, and one that I fully recommend crime lovers to read.

Kate Wiley is back to engage her readers with another Margot Phelan book and this is my thoughts about it.

Last we had seen, Margot had helped the FBI in identifying and locating the remains of a young woman whom her father, the convicted, notorious serial killer Ed Finch, had killed and disposed off. Now after a a couple of months, Ed has asked for Margot again, saying that he wants to convey facts about another murder that was not linked to him originally. But Margot already has to face too many investigations at various fronts and a new urgent investigation crops up, with a sniper killing people at prominent places where crowds usually gather.

In the course of an ongoing investigation, Margot herself gets caught up in the crosswires of the sniper and this leads to an overload of the emotional troubles she already faces. Her new meetings with her father don't help her either. Will she be able to manage the many investigations amidst her growing mental troubles? Who is the sniper? Are the various investigations going to be resolved before things take a bad turn? Read the book to know more.

Kate Wiley is continuing to prove that she is a capable writer of police-procedurals. She sets herself apart from other authors in the way she lines up the story. Unlike other stories, the police in her story almost always face a barrage of cases, as it must be in real-life scenarios. The timeline of the events are also more realistic. However, she has also included an investigation that continues over the course of the series and that helps in holding the reader's interest over the whole series.

This book was as good as the previous book as well and I imagined it immensely. I love the way the many characters in Margot's team have been developed bit by bit. She has given more background for them in this book and so we get to know them more. Margot's interactions with Ed are chilling and intriguing; so much so that there were times I felt nervous for Margot.

However, for all these positives, I had a small problem with this book. The many investigations that the team have to handle, though realistic, felt overwhelming at times. Particularly, the fact that many of them are resolved by the end of the book alone felt unnatural. But still I really liked this book and couldn't wait to read more.

This is the second book in Kate Wiley’s series and it is one of the more realistic police book series I’ve read. The police officer working more than one case at a time and trying to juggle this is a great insight into a real police officers life.
I loved the switching timeline as it gave us more of an insight and a deeper look into the father.
I can’t wait for book 3

Her Father's Secret is book 2 of the Detective Margot Phalen series. The book explores four different cases that Margot is working on with her colleagues Wes Fox and Leon Telly. Other characters play minor roles in the story. Margot helps the FBI solve cold cases related to a serial killer that she knows. The book is interesting in spite of the psychological issues raised by Margot. There is some working drama, as expected.

The description of this book absolutely captivated my attention. "The sun is beginning to set as Margot watches the dive team haul the girl’s body from the lake, untangling the bag that had been used to weight it down among the rocks and the reeds. But it isn’t the cool evening air that chills Margot to the bone as the bag is opened up. It is the glimpse of its contents. The old toys. Margot’s toys."

A police office working multiple cases at one time, this is a first in a novel for me. This helped the story progress along as a life like thriller. I felt lost as I did not realize this was book two of the series. I will be doubling back to the first book, hoping to appreciate the plot of the second more.


Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




✨ Detective
✨ Family Drama
✨ Secrets




✨ The story evolves to Margot, a daughter of a serial killer who is now detective. Dreading the day that she will receive a call that her dad will talk to her and tell where and why she murdered those women.

✨ it also evolves on is she willing to cooperate with her dad to look for the victims for closure or it’s just a trap?

✨ Writing style was okay. I did not felt the connection of the main character. I think it’s just focus on her job more rather than ‘her ‘ being the daughter of the notions serial killer.
I think also that the ending was abit abrup, it feels like a cliffhanger is coming in together.



✨ Thankyou storm publishing for the copy of this book for a honest review.

🫶🏼shaye.reads

A great book. I didn’t realised that this was the second book in this series. I really enjoyed it and will now be going back and reading the first instalment of the Margot Phalen series.

First book I have read of this and it won’t be the last poor Margot there is something fishy about her therapist - well written story line need to read book one and hope there will be a third book

I devoured this book! I read it one sitting, this is definitely a series that I’m going to be keeping up with and I can’t wait to read the next one. This author deserves a lot more acknowledgment!

Detective Margot Phalen has received a phone call , one she has spent years dreading ......... her
serial killer father wants her to visit him in jail . She would not normally see him but he has baited
the hook well with sharing one of his dark secrets - the secret of one of California's most infamous
missing person cases .
Pressure has been put on Margot not just be her own boss but also the FBI - they want the kudos
of solving this case no matter the impact on Margot , who has striven to put the past where it belongs
and create a new life for herself . Having been put on desk duty she has still managed to solve cases and
give victims families closure ........... one such case turns out to have been committed by her father but not
attributed to him previously - just how many more are still undiscovered .?
Margot must now decide if she is willing to fall into the blackhole of her father's past , can she survive
the emotional roller coaster dealing with him will cause her ?
It's only with the help of her partner , who knows who she really is , she feels able to get involved.
Their growing attraction and his support a safety net against her fathers machinations

This is an engrossing psychological thriller , fast paced , full of twists and turns - a real page turner !
This is an Author I will look out for in the future - she is now on my to be read Author list

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book via NetGalley; thank you!

I have never heard of this author before, but the cover and short description of the story really captivated me.

Wiley's writing style was very easy to read and I did enjoy this one; I sometimes felt there were too many issues going on.
The main storyline of Margot and her serial killer father is a great base to the story and one I will enjoy reading more of in the future.

I enjoyed that the story was always from Margot’s POV as with so much going on it could have been hard to follow, however Margot’s challenges for each situation kept the story together.

Thank You NetGalley for the ARC of Her Fathers Secrets by Kate Wiley in return for my honest review.
This is book 2 in the Margot Phalen series. I really enjoyed the first book so couldn’t wait to start reading this one and it certainly didn’t disappoint this is a really well written crime story and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.