Published 30th May 2023 by Thomas and Mercer.
From the cover of the book:
After twenty years apart, Matthew and Helena have rekindled their college romance and are away in Iceland on their first holiday together. Swept up in the romance on a mountain hike, one moment they are taking the perfect photo, the next Helena is hanging from the cliff edge…Terrified, Matthew almost misses Helena’s sudden and shocking confession—but what he hears chills him to the bone. And when Helena reveals the full truth Matthew is horrified, not only by what she’s done, but why she did it. Does he really know her at all?
His shock turns to horror when, back in England, they discover that someone not only overheard Helena’s confession but plans to blackmail her. Now Matthew must decide whether to go to the police or help Helena keep her secret—and as events spiral out of control, how far is Matthew willing to go to protect his ‘perfect’ girlfriend?
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Former university sweethearts Helena and Matthew get back together at a reunion, after twenty years apart. On the spur of the moment, they decide to embark on an adventure in Iceland, which brings them rather more in the way of thrills and spills than they bargained for.
After accidentally falling over a cliff edge on a mountain hike, Helena's brush with death makes her reveal to Matthew a shocking secret she has been keeping. Unfortunately, Matthew is not the only one to hear her confession...
When they return to England, they suddenly find themselves in the thrall of a blackmailer. Matthew is caught in a dilemma: he has fallen head over heels for Helena, but helping her with her problems means stepping over more than a few lines. How far will he go to protect her?
Keep Her Secret is an exciting crime story that begins with a gentle rekindling of a romance, which rapidly spirals out of control as Matthew finds himself sucked into helping Helena out of a very sticky situation. Without going into spoilers, this is basically a story about a decent man who is forced to confront just how far he is willing to stray from the straight and narrow to protect the woman he loves - and the answer is very far indeed.
There is plenty of darkness here, with as much in the way of dodgy shenanigans as to be expected from the devious mind of Edwards. I thoroughly enjoyed how Matthew and Helena actually both find themselves pushing their boundaries into lawlessness as each move they make sets off a chain reaction of increasingly complex conundrums, all the way to the delicious climax - and there is a lovely spine tingling parting kiss in the final pages. You are never quite sure who is telling the truth, even Matthew and Helena, which keeps things entertainingly tense. Curiously, for all the grit and mayhem, with themes of control, guilt and obsession, there is the unmistakeable feel of a cinematic, action caper about this story. The undercurrent of black comedy that arises from 'good guy' Matthew becoming embroiled in a series of surreal situations is strangely humorous (albeit in a morbid vein), and I found myself chuckling at many points in this book.
This was so much fun, and a proper page-turner... with a great title that hides intriguing shades of meaning!
Keep Her Secret is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to FMcM Associates for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
He has sold 4 million books since his first novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013, and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Because She Loves Me, The Hollows and Here to Stay. He has also co-authored six books with Louise Voss.
Originally from Hastings in East Sussex, Mark now lives in Wolverhampton with his wife, their children and two cats.
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