Ben is an investigative journalist faced with his toughest story yet. Why were his brother and his brother's friend killed by two young girls their own age? Were they targeted? Was his mom's suicide related or was it murder? And who has committed the most recent murder, one that he knows must be connected to the death of his brother?

This is a drama that plays out over several points of view. And each character has secrets that overlap with each other.. I thought this was going the way of folie à deux but that was not really the focus at all. This was my first book by Robert Gold and I enjoyed it enough that I will read the other two books on the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for taking me along on this blog tour!

Ben Harper is haunted by his brother's horrific murder and his mother's suicide. As a true crime reporter, he is now getting pressure from his edit to write a story about it... and Ben is very resistant. Then, Ben learns that one of his brother's murderers has been caught - and even more confusing, as he probes deeper - he find that his mother was in touch with the individual before she died. Ben has a lot of unravel, and Mr. Gold does such an amazing job weaving everything together to keep the reader very interested and invested in Ben. The book starts out slowly, but don't let that stop you as a reader. It's important to get a feel for the amazing characters in this book and understand their relationships with each other. I'm looking very forward to reading the next few in this series! Thank you to Bookouture for an advanced reader of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold is the first in the Ben Harper series.
Ben is an award-winning True crime Journalist. When he is asked by his boss if he can write about his own family history. When he was an eight-year-old child his brother Nick and his friend Simon was murdered in the woods by two schoolgirls Abigail Langdon and Josie Fairchild. The pair were convicted and served their time. After their release they were given new identities. His mother committed suicide ten years later.
Present day Abigail Langdon body is found she has been murdered. Has it got to do with what happened all of them years ago?
Twelve secrets is told in multiple points of view and at first you don’t realise what the significance of each one is until the very end of the story. It is an intriguing story with lots of twists and turns. But I sometimes felt a bit overwhelmed with so many POV’s which left me a bit unclear of what was happening. Overall, it was a good storyline but could be a bit straightforward. 3.5 stars from me,

Book #1 in the Ben Harper series. I had never read anything by Robert Gold when I started this book, but was hooked within the first few pages. Robert Gold builds Ben Harper's story in layers, telling the stories of Ben's brother's horrific murder, the trials of the killers and his mother's suicide years later. Like a rock thrown in a lake, these stories have sent ripples throughout the lives of the characters Ben's story touched. Living in the small town of Haddley, every person was touched in some manner. But the secrets are many and the clues eye opening when the murder's anniversary comes with the news that the killers have been released from prison.

This is an excellent mystery/thriller set in a town that could be any one of thousands and populated with characters that seem familiar until their secrets are uncovered. Gold builds the story in small pictures of daily life, weaving over arcing stories throughout but still managing to hold the tension tight all the way to the end. This was easily a 5 star read but it's also left enough questions to build anticipation for the next book.

This is the first book in a series featuring Ben Harper, a true crime journalist. A complex and riveting plot with excellent writing and character development. The author does an amazing job telling Ben’s story. This is going to be a fantastic series. I’m excited to dive into the second book now, Eleven Liars.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This one was a total chance on an author I had never heard of and it blew me away. From some amazingly well done characters to a unique immersing plot this has it all.
It moved at a great pace letting us get caught up in the background of the story while keeping us on the edge of our seats with the current happenings.
I was invested for page one. I can’t wait to read the next 2 in this series!

This is a twisty thriller with many intertwined characters whose relationships are slowly revealed as the story progresses. Ben is a crime journalist who has had to deal with more than his share of tragedy considering his brother was murdered and his mother is also dead. But when his editor pushes him to write a story regarding his mother, he isn't prepared for what he will find, or the danger involved.

The beginning of the story is necessarily a little on the slower pace given the number of characters involved and the need for some background information on them. And then, as the truths begin to be revealed, you think you know where things are going. That is, until the next twist is revealed. So many secrets, so much betrayal.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I quite enjoyed this first of a series. Ben Harper was only eight when his brother Nick was brutally murdered at the age of fourteen. A decade later, his mother took his own life. As the tenth anniversary of her death is approaching Ben receives the news that one of his brother’s killers has been found murdered. At first, he’s spitefully pleased as anyone in his position would be. But then he finds out his mother was in touch with the killer shortly before her death.

Now he realizes that he could be wrong about so much that happened back then. He’s never wanted to sell his story or write about that time, even though he’s a journalist. But he realizes he may have to break that rule to figure out what really happened to his mother. Maybe there’s a reason he never quite believed she’d take her own life – because she didn’t.

There are a variety of characters that round out the story and at first, it’s a bit jarring when each new point of view is introduced because you’re like “Who’s this person and what do they have to do with anything?” But they are all important to the plot even if you don’t know why yet. And once you see that Ben’s narrative is the only one in first person, the shifts between the various narratives are easier. And I realized one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much was that the characters were actually likable – more than one of them! I don’t know why that’s happening less with stories these days, but this series shows that characters can be flawed yet still sympathetic and appealing.

I really loved how the author weaved the story together and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. That rarely happens and I’m impressed. As soon as I finished this book, I knew I’d be diving right into the next one in the series and that’s exactly what I did.

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold is actually Book 1 in this new series. And it does not disappoint. I found myself engaged in the story and in getting to know the characters.

Secrets are dangerous, and this book contains many secrets and revelations that had me gasping out loud at times.

It’s twenty years since Ben's teenage brother was murdered and his mother took her own life with a broken heart. The police knock at Ben's door and tell him his brother’s killer has just been found murdered.

Ben is on a quest to discover what happened to his mother and brother. He teams up with PC Dani Cash, who is grappling with her own demons. They make a great pair, and it's interesting to read how each of their stories unfolds.

As Ben gets closer to the truth, another body drops. Someone in this close-knit town will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.

The story is told from different perspectives, and it was hard at times to keep all the characters straight. Overall, the story held my interest, and it was a refreshing new book.

I would recommend this book and this author. Twelve Secrets is a good crime thriller with good twists and shocking revelations.

#TwelveSecrets #NetGalley @bookouture

Ben is a journalist who moves back home after his mother’s death. It’s believed she took her own life after dealing with the aftermath of her son’s murder. But what if it wasn’t a suicide? After Ben’s brother’s killer is found dead, Ben starts to question what really happened. Ben starts digging into the past, questioning people as if he’s writing an article. But is he ready to discover the truth?

Twelve Secrets is a slow moving mystery. Do not expect twists and suspense one every page. There is quite a bit of detail, with a lot of characters in the book. Everyone had their own backstory and some were intertwined. At times I felt there was so much going on that I couldn’t keep track. I wanted to love this one, but it was an average read for me.