Jackie Walsh

Five Little Words by Jackie Walsh

Slowly but steadily the author of this book presented a story that I was eventually captivated by. At first, I felt it was a bit plodding and perhaps wouldn’t go anywhere but as each short chapter ended, I became more invested in what would happen. There were unexpected twists and turns toward the end that threw the steady pace for a loop and had me thinking, “So THAT’S what happened.”

Both Laura and her husband Conor had secrets that would not be revealed till near the end. Their relationship had a “new” feel to it that showed up in their lack of open communication. In some ways I felt as if the story could have been set in perhaps the fifties due to the role Laura assumed throughout most of the book.

What I liked:
* That I didn’t know immediately the backstories of Laura and Conor
* That I was kept guessing and wondering where the story was taking me
* That the book was different
* Wondering about the pasts of Laura, Conor, and others in the story
* The way I cared more at the end of the book than I did in the beginning
* The way I was drawn in…slowly
* Conor’s regard for Laura
* Wondering about Laura and why she was as she was…was it just postpartum hormones or was there more to it all.
* When the secrets began to be revealed
* Being reminded that communication and trust with honesty are important in a strong relationship

What I didn’t like:
* Conor’s mother, Maggie, taking over without Conor standing up to her as he could have
* That Vicky lost her life – though finding out who killed her was an exercise worth reading about

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (meer)

The Secrets He Kept
by Jackie Walsh

Sally: mother, wife and hairdresser
Tom: her husband
Cian & Tom: twin sons of Sally & Tom
Amber: 15 year old daughter of Sally & Tom
Charlie: The sharer of a photo that upturns everyone’s lives

Sally had no idea that a photo on a phone would set in motion the search for information that had been hidden from her. As each little piece of information is uncovered I believe she was feeling more and more on the outside of what was happening. Everyone seems to have had secrets and been telling lies.

This is a psychologically twisty tale that has a prologue that indicates a murder took place but who was killed is not evident till around page 100 and then who is she and how does she relate to the story and most important of all...who killed her and why? Finding out who did it was a bit of a surprise so I won’t give that away. I will say that I did want to know so kept reading and sometimes skimmed to find out how it would end.

What I liked:
* Not knowing right away who was killed and who the killer was
* The slow unveiling
* The eventual knowing
* Cian and Aaron
* the threads being woven together

What left me unsettled:
* The lying
* The secrets
* The ending – though it kind of had to end as it did
* Wondering how the pieces would be picked up by those that remained at the end of the book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley, Hera and BOTBS for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars… (meer)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Sally, who works as a a hairdresser, is shown a photo of a client's boyfriend with his father. The father is Sally's husband, Tom. The opening concept is gripping, but then Sally spends a lot of time angsting about confronting Tom and failing to do so, and then as Tom begins to admit incremental bits of information, the author comes up with more and more elaborate ways to account for the fact that Tom and Sally never sit down and have a reasonable conversation about the situation.

I liked the relationships Sally had with her colleagues at the salon and with her neighbours, but her relationship with Tom seemed fake somehow. I never believed that had been happy together for 15 years; there was no warmth, no intimacy, no in-jokes, no sharing. They were like two strangers who handed off childcare to one another. It was all too easy to assume Tom was lying. What was Tom's job? Why was he not paying off his debts, rather than Sally?

On the one hand, this novel kept my interest, but on the other, it all seemed by the end like a lot of fuss over nothing. I didn't understand why every one (and especially Tom - why make up the elaborate story about the cyclist?) had felt the need to keep secrets in the first place and certainly not latterly.… (meer)