Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for my advanced readers copy of Where Secrets Live.

Holy. Surprise. Ending. S.C. Richards wrote some really great twists into this one.

Following her sisters murder, Liz starts sinking her nails into her sister’s past, her family’s dirty secrets, and the heart of the cop assigned to her sister’s case. When the lies begin to unfold and more and more people are turning out to be super ~sus~, Liz knows this isn’t going to end well. She dodged questions from her cop crush, breaks into her sister’s safety deposit box (among other things she finds without permission lol), and enlists the help of a PI who ends up being the best dang asset to her finding out the truth. And y’all, the truth was NOT pretty and absolutely DID end in quite a bit of blood… and revenge.

5/5 for this thrilling read

As soon as I started Where Secrets Live, I had a hard time putting it down. This story has a way of sucking you in, especially once Liz begins to unravel the many threads of her sister’s life. As each new twist is revealed, it’s clear just how much knowledge Meredith protected from her. I appreciated that Liz was not a standard, do-gooder main character; instead, she was a little rough around the edges and worked hard to overcome her drinking problem. I appreciated that the author used this as a way to demonstrate how hard it can be to give up an addiction; in the novel we see Liz struggle time and again to keep her sobriety should found with her sister’s death.

As far as the actual story goes, the way it unravels with multiple suspects was pretty good. Most of these characters had done something shameful or dishonest in their life, showing that even if they weren’t the culprit of the murder itself, there was still plenty to answer for. The actual ending twist was pretty good; I kept thinking to myself about the unanswered question before an answer I was not expecting flew across the page.

Overall, this review was really hard for me to right, as I breezed through the story so quick I hardly took any notes, and thus forgot most of the details by the time I sat down to write. If you like thrillers, you’ll likely enjoy this one, as it’s filled with interesting characters and plenty of twists. If anything, it could be considered a bit of a “standard” thriller, and therefore a bit forgettable after you’ve finished.

This is my first book from this author. I do enjoy a mystery and a “Whodunit” theme although this is more of a why and how…
This is a good book but beware of some triggers (rape, grief, abandonment).
There is an extensive list of characters that can be difficult to follow at some times but if you like family mystery stories, this book is for you.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Where Secrets Live by S. C. Richards
A missed call from her sister, woken up by her cousin Fred, a last minute drive to her sister's house, Elizabeth is now dealing with the death of her sister and convinced she will find out who did this. She starts asking questions, visiting family, who can she trust. Tom is there every step of the way, both as a friend (Liz would like it to be more) and in a professional capacity investigating the murder.
I really enjoyed this novel, there are lots of characters but we'll introduced and described and able to keep track of who is who. I recommend this book and look forward to more by this author

Unputdownable. I don't know if that's even a word, but it fits this book for me!

I was immediately hooked into the mystery of this story when Meredith was murdered and Liz began her hunt for the murderer. This book had me questioning everyone and changing my mind on who could be the main suspect with every turn of the page. This was a fantastic quick read that kept me curious. I enjoyed the character development of everyone and the inner struggles at play for Liz throughout the book.

I don't want to give anything away, so I'll simply say, this one is definitely a book to read. Pick it up immediately when it's released in September. I need to get my hands on more S.C. Richards books now, especially since I discovered that she is originally from Nebraska! :)

Thank you Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book is incredible. This is the first time I've read this author, but I am a huge fan. I blew through Where Secrets Live because I could to stop reading it.

This was a solid, well-paced thriller with a believable premise and a nice range of suspects for the murder. I enjoyed the story but had some issues with it too.

I know a good thriller is enhanced by main characters that make poor decisions. I just felt like there were sooooo many of them in this book. Liz attempting to solve her sister's murder while also building a relationship with the cop assigned to the same murder (who is also the murdered sister's ex!) was a bit much for me to swallow, personally.

It seemed implausible that a) the cop, Tom was assigned the case of his old girlfriend's murder in the first place, and b) he immediately confessed to having feelings for the living sister, Liz a hot minute after her sister's death and c) Liz was continually ignoring T0m's (very reasonable) requests to stop putting herself in mortal danger by playing amateur detective. All of this seemed bonkers to me.

Also I found it super creepy (and not at ALL romantic) that Tom had such poor boundaries and kept just walking into Liz's house all the time, as well as telling her stuff about the case (the ending notwithstanding, this guy seemed to SUCK at his job) saying things like, "And I shouldn't be telling you this, but I'm too tired to care right now. We don't have any real leads" and then revealing case details. WHAT?

Basically this main relationship really bugged me and that affected my enjoyment of the book overall. Thankfully there were some other interesting characters (LOVED the private investigator!) that helped to balance out things out. Overall, there was a lot to enjoy here. Just not a slam dunk for me personally.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF
maybe it was my mood or right book wrong time. It was interesting in the beginning but for some reason it felt like.. bad acting somewhat?? if that is even possible. And yes, everyone seemed like a suspect but there were a lot of
characters also to keep up with. but right already in the middle mark i was already over the story and didn’t care much to continue. Like I mentioned before it may have been just me not being immersed in the story fully

This was an average domestic mystery. It all seemed a bit far fetched. I struggled to the end. There is a lot of competition for this type of novel. Not one of my favorites.

This book was great, the characters were well developed. The plot was interesting. Highly recommend it.

Not the first 'solving her sister's murder' but you won't see this ending coming! Great character development even with the victim who is dead on page one. A new author for me but thanks to an advance read by @netgalley, will loo for more Susan Richards books!

This was one of those books I couldn't put down until I had finished it. So many twists I couldn't completely guess the ending. The characters were written well so at times I felt along with them, though I didn't cry.

Bursting with family secrets, this book draws you in by immersing you in the centre of the action. Keeping you guessing throughout, it is hard to put down but still enables you to assume the role of detective. A satisfying storyline that is avoidant of being too predictable so it is entertaining by being brimming with lively action.

Blog Review: https://drizzleofjoyblog.wordpress.com/2022/04/14/where-secrets-live/

Imagine missing a phone call from your sister only to find out the next day she was murdered. Yikes! Sisters Meredith and Liz have always been close, especially as they were raised by step parents together after the tragic loss of their parents.

Liz is haunted when she finds out her sister has been murdered. She is determined to get to the bottom of why this would happen and begins to unravel many family secrets along the way. The book has a lot of twists and turns and is an enjoyable read.

5/5
Fiction/Thriller, 336 pages
No Spoilers Review

This was my first novel by S. C. Richards, but it won’t be my last. What a great book! I found myself engrossed and finished it pretty quickly. I also found myself thinking about it a few days later so that’s always a good sign for me.

I was fully engaged by this book, and found it very difficult to put down. The story was fast paced, but not too fast. There was just the right amount of detail, and the plot kept me on my toes trying to guess what would come next (which is a nice change for me as I find a lot of times some thrillers to be predictable).

I was kept in a constant state of suspense, and found the entire story to be very believable.

The Liz character was amazing, and I found myself drawn to her. I didn't necessarily agree with all her choices (who would want to go out alone when there's potentially a killer after you?), but I respected her intensity and her perseverance.


Things I liked:
The plot and how it was kept interesting and unpredictable.
The Liz character was a really strong and determined female character.
How Liz's "detective work" progressed.
The whole family dynamic aspect and how it played a central role.
The pace and complexity of the story.

Things I didn’t like:
If I had to pick one thing, it would be how things got to a frenzied pace at the end and suddenly, there were no more pages. It seemed a tad bit rushed at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and action genres. Again, amazing read!

This is a gripping mystery right from the start. Liz is mourning the death of her older sister Meredith, who left a cryptic note on her phone asking for forgiveness. Liz decides to solve the mystery surrounding the death herself. The policeman attached to the case is an old friend of both of them, can he be objective enough on the case.? Whenever he visits Meredith’s home or work place, friends or family he is always one step behind Liz. What Liz uncovers is shocking and it involves many of her family members who are all very rich. Their father who died when they were children turns out to be alive and he really doesn’t want to be found out. His new family become very violent to Liz but what secrets do they hold? Discovering her sister has had a child who is now grown up also shocks Liz but who out of all these people led Meredith to her death?^This is an exciting and gripping story that would make a great film it is that good. There is a chance for happiness for Liz if she can only survive the violence of the family member who has betrayed, stolen from and destroyed the trust of everyone else involved with the sisters. Meredith did nothing that needed forgiveness but protected her sister for many years. Parts of the story are truly shocking to read but it is a brilliant story from beginning to end.

When Elizabeth's sister Meredith is murdered Elizabeth can't seem to shake the feeling she could have intervened when she'd seen the change in her sister. Meredith and Elizabeth were left in the care of their stepmother Ruth when their father died . Elizabeth armed with guilt she takes on finding out who killed her . All the digging brings up a lot of family secrets that that her stepmother Ruth and stepfather David had buried and it isn't pretty . Elizabeth soon learns that both her and Meredith were abandoned by the people who were supposed to care for them the most.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review for "Where Secrets Live"

This was a fast paced murder mystery with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the writing style that kept me want to continue reading. The story follows the main character Liz who is trying to figure out who killed her sister Meredith. There were lots of secrets and family drama to uncover and it was very nice to follow her along, trying to puzzle all the pieces together.

This is a complicated and twisty domestic thriller. Watching Liz figure out all of this was very interesting and I enjoyed figuring out things alongside her. I enjoyed some parts of this book more than others, it held my attention during parts where the story picked up but it definitely had its lulls for me.

Meredith and Liz are two very close sisters, but when Meredith is murdered, Liz is shaken to her core. Her sister’s murder sends Liz downward to uncover the truths about her convoluted family, the stepparents who raised them, and why Meredith was murdered.

Their stepmother raised liz and Meredith and her husband after both of their biological parents died over the years, or so Liz thought. As Liz figures out the truth and pieces together what happened to Meredith and their childhood, nothing is as it seems.

As Liz figures out her past, her sister’s past, and the truth about her family’s secrets, her life is turned upside down. The more pieces she’s able to put together, the more danger she realizes she is in, forcing her to take drastic measures to put everything to rest and finally uncover the truth about her sister’s murder.

This is a complicated and twisty domestic thriller. Watching Liz figure out all of this was very interesting and I enjoyed figuring out things alongside her. I enjoyed some parts of this book more than others, it held my attention during parts where the story picked up but it definitely had its lulls for me.