Paromjit's Reviews > Little Secrets

After reading the wonderful Jar of Hearts, I was always going to read Jennifer Hillier's latest heart stopping psychological thriller, set in Seattle, that grabbed me right from the beginning. Marin is the woman with everything, the perfect life, running a string of hair salons for the wealthy and celebrities, with a good looking husband, Derek, a CEO and wealthy man in his own right, pillars of the community, blessed with a 4 year old son, Sebastian, conceived after fertility treatments. All it takes is a moment for Marin's life of privilege to go down the pan, on a Christmas shopping trip whilst answering a text. Sebastian is taken, taken by a person dressed in a Santa costume, and neither the police or the FBI succeed in finding the missing boy.

Over a year later, Marin is a complete wreck, distraught, her marriage to Derek has descended into a worrying silence, life seems barely worth living, she is seeing a therapist, attending a support group, the only place where she can be herself with others, and she just cannot forget or move on from the all enveloping grief over the loss of Sebastian. She is a mother who makes the momentous decision to hire a private investigator, Vanessa Castro, with Sebastian's abduction now being viewed as a cold case. Her life spirals into a nightmare when Castro informs her that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman, the beautiful pink haired 24 year old art student MacKenzie Li. An angry Marin has lost almost all that matters, she is not prepared to lose Derek too, that is one step too far for her.

In a story narrated by Marin and Kenzie, this is a twisted, tense and suspenseful tale where not everyone is as they appear. With many of the trademark tropes of the psychological thriller, there are eminently dislikeable characters, such as a Kenzie who exploits the frailties of being a man with no compunction whatsoever. This is a fast paced and riveting read, with no so little secrets, lies, loss, betrayal, being a mother and guilt at the heart of the novel. This is another great thriller from the pen of the talented Jennifer Hillier that I recommend to other crime and thriller readers. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.