“The Secrets He Kept” by Jackie Walsh is a fast paced psychological thriller that I throughly enjoyed.
The chapters are short, yet full of information leading to the next one.
There are many hidden secrets in this book causing the reader to discover them one by one.
Highly recommended.

Sally is a hairdresser who has three children with her husband Tom. Amber is fifteen and the twins three. We know something has gone on in the past but not what which means that Sally is the main breadwinner and despite wanting to spend more time with her family, she is forced to keep the wolf from the door- something she blames Tom for.. One day at work, a walk in customer shows Sally a picture of her boyfriend with his father- a man who very much looks like Tom in a shirt she remembers buying with him. Has Tom had another child just before they met and why is he suddenly being so secretive all of a sudden? Sally is finding more questions than answers. This is one that has twists and turns along the way. When Sally thinks things can’t get any worse than they already area- of course there is something else just around the corner. One part wasn’t answered (the cyclist-I’m not giving anything away) and in some ways we never got to know the real Tom as most of the book is focussed on Sally. I enjoyed this but didn't quite get that sense of anticipation as I did when reading Familiar Strangers (One of Jackie’s other books). That said it that kept me within its pages and was a fast paced, different, interesting read.
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The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh is a fast-paced read that kept me fully engaged from beginning to end. This one will have you guessing until the very final page.

Sally is a wife and mother who is working as a hairdresser in order to pay off her husband's debts. One day, a client unwittingly blows Sally's world apart by revealing a photo of her boyfriend's father, a man who happens to also be Sally's husband. This is only the beginning of the nightmare and Sally must question just how well she really knows her spouse, the man with whom she has shared so much of her life. Sally is certainly an empathetic character who fights to keep her family together in the face of one domestic crisis after another, while husband Tom makes a compelling case for remaining forever single. This is a riveting and twisty tale that will have you racing to get to the bottom of it all.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

I read this book in a day as I was totally involved in the nightmare that Sally found herself in. A normal wife, mum and hairdresser dealing with the ups and downs of family life whilst coming to terms with the financial mess her husband has left them in. She is stoically supportive until it is revealed that husband has a secret son... The story is full of twists and turns and kept me hooked throughout- even when I was questioning why such a strong character put up with her flaky spouse - I never felt that they were very much in love, more settled with domestic ties. A good read that will have you flying through the chapters to see how it will all unravel. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to immerse myself in the perfect Sunday read.

Sally had been working as a hair stylist for a long time. At 37, she has twins (3 years old) and a daughter, Amber, 15y years old. Sally's husband works to recoup money from a bad deal.

While at work, a 16 year old walk-in customer, Charlie, comes in,for a special hairdo for a party. Sally is assigned to her. The two get to chatting and Charlie shows Sally pics of her boyfriend. That is just the beginning!!!

Fantastic read! Great plot that grabs you from the very beginning. A masterful story that keeps you endlessly intrigued.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Many Thanks to Hera Books and NetGalley for a wonderful read!

This story was definitely a gripping one. From the beginning, there isn't really a break from the fast paced action.
When you live with someone for 16 years and have children together, get through a lot of ups and downs in life, you expect to know the other person and don't doubt him for anything.
A chance encounter or not , reveals that actually Tom has lived a double life and hide it all along.
I liked how Sally was portrayed in the story and it's understandable why she chooses to give him credit and believe his lies .
What I didn't liked though, where all the lies that Tom kept telling her, all the hiding and odd behaviour. They never sat down to talk like adults as it's expected for a married couple and at times it looked like he wasn't worth her time at all. They didn't act like a caring couple towards each other, they just felt like two strangers living in the same bed but with no attraction, no real life together.
Overall,the book it's great but with some unnecessary twists in my opinion.
It's gripping, holds your attention all the way throughout the story and many people will definitely enjoy it.

What a fabulous read loved all the twists and turns kept me guessing! I really enjoyed this read it in one sitting!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I haven’t heard of or read any of Jackie Walsh’s books before this one. I liked the cover on the book and felt the story started off well and grabbed my attention. It is a gripping psychological thriller that had quite a few twists and turns in the story, and is told mostly through Sally’s eyes as she finds out her husband Tom has another child a year older than their own daughter, and whose mother is found murdered. Sally’s feelings, emotions and anger after finding out his secret are written really well and you can’t help but have empathy for her. The Police question Tom during the murder investigation and Sally realises her husband has more secrets he’s kept from her as the book progresses. I liked the way the book was wrote and devoured it in less than a day, it was hard to put down as I kept wanting to know what was coming next. Would recommend.

A good solid book. I read this one in one sitting on thus rainy day. The characters are all believable. Thanks for approving me for this book.


Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book.

One picture opens up a whole book of secrets. Just one. Wife, mom, and hairstylist Sally is working one day when a young girl comes in for a style. She and Sally get into a conversation which results in young Charlie showing Sally a picture of her boyfriend and his father. Sally is speechless. The father in the photo is none other than her husband, Tom.
She eventually confronts Tom and he lies about it at first, saying he does not have a son. As the pages keep turning the lies unravel.
When the boy's mother is murdered, Sally is faced with the unimaginable, Tom's secret son must now move in with them and their teenaged daughter. Sally wants nothing to do with it. She knows absolutely nothing about this mysterious boy and she sure as heck doesn't want a strange teenager living in the same house as her teenage daughter. Then the twist...their daughter knew about Kenny almost the whole time! We also learn that she is the one who sent Charlie to the salon in the first place, she felt her mother had a right to know about the child Tom never told her about.
The ending is a little bit confusing however. I can't say why without giving away a major spoiler so I will not but it left me wondering "who..."

A great read, pact and twisty with solid characters. This is my first novel by this author and it won’t be my last!

What would you do if you found out your husband had a secret son and right after you find out about this child....his mother is murdered? Tom and Sally’s marriage has survived for 16 years with three kids. Until one day Sally is shown a picture of a 16 year old boy Kenny and his dad....Sally’s husband. Tom lies. When Kenny’s Mom is found dead in her home....Tom lies.

Thank you NetGalley, Hera Books and Jackie Walsh for an advanced copy of this book. This is my first book I’ve read from this author. I must say I was very intrigued by this book. I was sucked in from the very beginning. I hated Tom...then felt sorry for him...then hated him...then shocked at the very end. I literally couldn’t put this book down and I was on an emotional roller coaster feeling sad, mad and anxious. Sally is a lovable character and I wanted to hug her throughout the whole book because she was a rock trying to keep her family together. Overall a solid great read that I truly enjoyed! I will definitely be tracking down her first novel!!!

This as a brilliant read . I was hooked straight in from the first chapter and it really didn't let up . Fast paced and thrilling . When Sal who is a hairdresser is shown a picture by her client , her heart literally stops as with his arm round a boy who she doesn't know is her husband Tom . From this one photo spreads a whole tale that weaves in all different directions , when he finally admits to being this boy's father things get out of control quickly . There is a murder close to home , Sal still not over a recent betrayal by her husband starts to trust him less and less , her daughter is behaving strangely and some people in Sal's life obviously know more than they are letting on . Some great twists , my only disappointment was that it finished very abruptly . I would have liked a few more chapters tying things up . However still 5 stars .

Enjoyed this domestic thriller very much. The characters were well drawn and the story flowed seamlessly. Highly recommended.

I so enjoyed this book my 1st book buy this author and could not stop reading what a brilliant story Sal has 3 children 2 twin boys and a daughter she works very hard being a hairdresser one day a young girl comes in the shop and shows her a photo on her phone of her boyfriend and his dad but the dad is her husband David how this story comes together is so good saying no more but so recommend a must read

The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh is just FULL OF SUSPENSE.

Imagine learning that your husband not only has another family but add to that a murder and you would not be comfortable sleeping next to your husband at night anymore. Who is telling the truth? What can you believe?

You know everything about your husband. Don’t you? He loves you. He loves your children. He’d never put his family in danger. One of these is a lie.

It started like any other day at the hairdressers where Sally works as a stylist… until her first client innocently shows her a family photograph; a photograph that causes Sally to collapse in shock.

In one moment, Sally discovers that Tom has been hiding an explosive secret – one that could tear apart the life they’ve built together. Faced with an impossible dilemma – search for the truth, or keep her contented life? – Sally is about to discover that even those closest to us have secrets… and that sometimes the truth is the last thing we want to hear.

There is a lot of suspense in this book and if you love to stay up late reading because you simply have to know what is going to happen next, then this is the perfect book for you!

Coming November 6, order here.

Thank you Net Galley and Hera Books for an early copy of this book. This book was very good BUT the husband lied toooooo many times, every chapter was another lie, it got annoying after awhile. The ending was very good, I totally didn't know who was the culprit and I was shocked. I would recommend this book to others.

This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start . I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.

A brilliant roller coaster of a read from Jackie, full of twists and turns and I was gripped from the very first page, just my type of book and I particularly liked the short chapters which left you wondering.

The characters were so well described, all interesting in their own way and each with a story to tell. I particularly liked the ending of this book when 'it all came together'. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, well done Jackie, I hope to read more from you in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hera Books for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant book.

I loved, loved this book. It was engaging from the first page and kept me up half the night. I simply had toknow how it would end.

Wow what a great book! Jackie Walsh is a new author for me but one that I will definitely read more from!
The secrets he kept is an engaging psychological thriller that will have you gripped from start to finish so much so that you really don’t want to stop reading!
Sally and Tom are happily married with three children when there life is suddenly changed beyond all recognition! How well do you know the person you have spent 16 years living with? What secrets has he been keeping from you? Sally finds out her husband has a secret son that she knows nothing about and shortly afterwards the boys mother is murdered, this sets Tom and sally onto an emotional, fraught journey with many repurcussions, the reader is drawn into their family dynamics and the story flows seamlessly from start to finish with an unexpected ending! A great read that I will highly recommend thank you net galley for this early read!

Sally, a 37 year old hairdresser and mother of three, has spent the last seventeen years madly in love with her husband Tom. It isn't until a client sits down in Sally's chair that she begins to realize that Tom may not be the perfect husband she thought he was.

This book started off as a solid two for me but the deeper I got into the never ending drama surrounding Sally's life I found myself unable to stop reading. Yes, the amount of problems that surfaced did feel a little ridiculous, but I was thoroughly entertained! I soon began feeling like this would be a four star rating for me until... the ending. I was not a fan of the ending. The style it was written in was different compared to a lot of others I've read recently, but it just wasn't as satisfying after I'd spent the entire book throwing out off the wall theories and waiting for an unbelievable plot twist.

I can honestly say while I sympathized with Sally, I didn't like her. I couldn't stand Tom. I know she was only a teenager, but I wasn't particularly fond of their daughter Amber either. Despite not liking the majority of the cast, I thought that Jackie Walsh's writing at times was extremely humorous and kept the story afloat for me. I've never read anything else by Jackie Walsh before The Secrets He Kept but I think I'll give her another try in the future.

All in all, I have to give this book 3.5 out of 5.

‘One of those books you can read on the tube, at night or when have a spare 10 minutes, come back to and fall straight back in’

Sally is cutting a clients hair when the girl shows her a picture, she says a family picture, on the picture is a teenage boy, the girl says ‘that’s his dad’ pointing at the man standing next to him with his arm round the lad
Sally looks
And looks again
The man is Tom, her husband
And to her knowledge the only children he has are the 3 he has with her
When she come round from fainting the girl has gone...
Intrigued? So was I, it was a brilliant start to the book and the book then continued in the same exciting style with lies being uncovered, secrets coming to the fore and Sally receiving what seems like a ‘twice a day’ shock to make her life even more unpredictable than it was the day before
I liked Sally with her dark humour thoughts to the situation that was unfolding and her sometimes ‘as honest as we all would be but probably wouldn’t say’ thinking, she was no ‘storming heroine’ just Sally and she wanted normality back, probably one of the unfakest ( if thats a word ) characters read lately in a book
The story progressed really well and concluded suitably shockingly, if not a tad quickly
Good all round story, one of those you look forward to reading when you cant read in one sitting and a welcome casual, chatty style of writing
10/10
5 Stars

A fast paced twisty domestic thriller with a sympathetic and relatable main character.

Sally works as a hairdresser to support her family after her husband got them into financial troubles.
One day a client shows her a picture and Sally's world comes crumbling.
Suddenly she realizes that her husband had a secret, and she painfully realizes that she doesn't really know the man she shared most of her life with. Sally has to fight for her family while unraveling her husband's secrets and lies.

This is an engrossing read with a likable character and a host of thrilling twists and turns, enjoy!

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally’s day begins like any other - breakfast for her husband Tom and three children, drop offs at school and day care and then on to her busy job as a hairstylist. Her normal day is upended when a client shows Sally a picture of her teenage boyfriend Kenny and his father who looks exactly like…Tom. While Sally grapples with Tom’s apparent deception and his continuing reluctance to share the complete truth, Kenny’s mother is murdered and Tom is the obvious suspect. As threats to her family’s safety mount, Sally fights to protect her children as she questions Tom’s loyalty. A frightening event leads to the shocking ending of this suspenseful, fast-paced thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hera Books and Jackie Walsh for this ARC.

What a great book. Would definitely recommend to it others I no. Great work will look out for this author again

Wow, this was one gripping read!

Right from the start the author had my full attention. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than seeing an image that could potentially destroy your whole world. I really felt for Sally and have to say she was more understanding than I would have been.

This is a story packed to the brim of lies and secrets. Some of those secrets though, woah! It was like watching your favourite soap as everything started unravelling. I couldn’t get enough. A few times I had to stop myself from shouting out as I was so shocked by what I was reading. There was one revelation in particular that had me picking my jaw up off the floor.

The Secrets He Kept will definitely get the adrenaline going. I could feel my heart racing the nearer to the end I got. Even well after I finished it, it was still pounding. A roller coaster of a read that thrills and excites.

The Secrets He Kept was a very compelling thriller. It was easy to finish, and I was eager to know the ending from the beginning.

Sally and Tom lead a seemingly normal life, until Sally is shown a picture of a boy and his father...who is her husband. Sally second guesses her marriage and entire family life. The discovery of a secret son unravels her mental state and family life, revealing nasty secrets that were meant to stay hidden.

The protagonists in many thrillers wait before confronting the husband/friend/lover etc. but I appreciated that Jackie Walsh has Sally confront Tom right away. It seems as though what most betrayed people would do, and makes Sally more realistic and relatable. It was not easy to figure out who was the perpetrator was, and I was suspicious of each character at some point. I would have liked a little more monologue from Kenny to explain his thoughts and give him some character depth.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological thrillers.

The Secrets He Kept is the first book I have read from Jackie Walsh and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter from start to end. The moment the first jaw-dropping bomb-shell landed in the first chapter, I was hooked.

The writing style is fabulous; best described as a vivid depiction of a wife unravelling the web of deceit caused by her husband. Some characters I loved, while others had me annoyed, but for all the right reasons because I felt I was on a journey with both Sally and Tom who lead the way in two totally different directions. Clever cliff-hangers, a sprinkling of clues in all the right places and a twist you couldn't guess even if you tried.

A gripping, hard-hitting read that leaves you desperate for more. I can't wait to read more this author in future.

A good creepy story. I really enjoyed this. Twisted and dark. I’d highly
Recommended this to everyone

This is a great book!! The main character is so very realistic. A typical wife and mom. She is a hair dresser and one day one of her customers showed her a picture of her boyfriend and his dad. Everything goes crazy from here. I read this in one setting. It moves really fast and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. The ending was a little bit of a let down only because the author didn't go into any detail about the outcome of what happened to Great book highly recommended!!

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing book.

After reading a few books that I just couldn't get into, this had me gripped straight away.

The moment Sally sees a picture of her husband with a young boy,Kenny who apparently is his son, Sally's world 🌎 turns on its axis.

Determined to find the truth she confronts husband,Tom.

Tom says she's crazy. Then Kenny 's mum is murdered and the courts send Kenny to live with his father....Tom can't deny it any further.

Sally is left to pick up the pieces.

Great read, thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book,this is my honest opinion

This story took off brilliantly and I was hooked and intrigued by the premise. Set in Ireland, Sally the mother of three discovers her husband Tom might have a son she doesn’t know about. Does Tom know, does the boy know.? We are off and running within a handful of of pages when suddenly there is a murder. While I loved Sallys’ dark humour it was frustrating to keep reading her say/think ‘well, I will ask that question (that could move the plot along) in the morning or when I’m not so confused’. It happened so often, I actually looked for it. Otherwise, it was a solid four stars, but so easily could have been five.

I was intrigued by this book from the start and was loathe to put it down.
Sally has a good and trusting marriage and happy family life until her husband starts to lose her trust. Her discoveries about the lies her family tell her, and her determination to keep them safe at all costs from the mounting danger she perceives them to be in is totally immersive and thrilling. Unable to fully trust Tom, her husband, I could empathise with her sense of foreboding and isolation as she tries to uncover the truth. A totally believable nightmare situation, with suspicion constantly changing as the secrets and lies unfold. Whilst the ending wasn't a total shock, it was a riveting read to get there and the conclusion was shocking thought provoking. A highly recommended and enjoyable read which left me wanting to read more of Jackie Walsh's novels. My thanks to Hera Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the building tension, I was convinced Tom was a total liar and probably guilty but ...... then it rocked up another level and Tom was not involved. So now I am looking at other people. Was the neighbour too helpful, what about her dad, there is lots to follow and even more to absorb.
My only complaint it ended to quickly and was wrapped up a little to neatly for me.

Great thriller....filled with drama, suspense, action, and lots of mystery.
Sally and Tom have a great marriage, with good and bad times like most everyone else. Out of the blue Sally discovers that Tom has a 16 year old son, Kenny, whose mother was just murdered in their home. As more and more information comes to light, Sally realizes just how many people are keeping secrets from her, and her husband's may not be the worst!
This book had tons of twists and turns and kept me guessing up until the last page. Great read!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sally has a wonderful husband Tom and 3 children, Amber her sometimes obnoxious teen, and 2 little boys Cian and Aaron. Sally works as a hairstylist and everything in her life is running smoothly, that is, until the day one of her clients shows her a picture that will completely turn Sally's life upside down.
Just how well do you know your husband. Sally slowly learns things about Tom that she never dreams possible and their lives will never be the same again.
A great book, a fast read and interesting to the end.

I really enjoyed this book, it gripped from the first pages and was hard to put down.
I read the author’s book Familiar Strangers and she just gets better I think.
Recommended read.

I enjoyed this book. The author catches your attention right from the start when Sal who is a hairdresser is shown a picture of her. Clients boyfriend with his Dad. Trouble is the person she says is his Dad happens to be Sal's husband Tom!

From then onwards Sal tries to find out what is going on, picking through all the lies and betrayals she never knew existed. Meantime carrying on her role as a working mum to their teenage girl and 3 year old twins.

Sally was far too patient and caring in my opinion.. Tom was weak and told lies instead of dealing with reality. A few red herrings along the way made this very readable. Having said that I am not sure that this is a psychological thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hera Books and the author for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

How many lies does it take before you stop believing everything someone tells you? That is the question that you will ask yourself as you read this story. The main character, Sally, is well written though I would have to say it is hard for me to believe that someone would be as forgiving and naive as she was in this story. The plot is interesting and has some twists and turns to it though a bit unbelievable with regards to the personality given to the main character. I am interested in reading more books by this author.

This was a fantastic game!!

A game?

But you read a book!!

I agree.

It was a book which played a game with me. The author's writing was so coated in mystery that my mind kept screaming - what is she trying to tell me? What is she hiding from me? The author Jackie Walsh kept me second guessing the whole time I read the story. I tried to decipher the hidden suspense. But alas, I didn't succeed. Only at the very end could I try to perhaps come to the right guess. Whew!

The story was pretty much simple, but made so convoluted that I had to scream at the characters to react... Show me the truth... Confront him.... What are you doing?... Why are you doing this?... Sal was a hairdresser and her husband was Tom. One day, a client showed a pic on her phone of boyfriend and his father. The father was Tom, Sal's husband. Then cane the story of lies and games, of truth and lies, of fake and reality. Add a murder too and you have a suspenseful mystery.

Innocence was never brilliantly played as this author did with her characters. I could not make out who was innocent and who was guilty. They were unlikable equally with hints of vulnerability. Not all of us are brave enough to rock a comfortable boat. I wanted Sal to confront her louse of a husband. I think I swore at that husband more times I could count.

It was quite a heart wrenching book!!

What? Was it emotional?

No no it was a suspense... All my swear words were wrenched from my heart at the husband and I was drained out at the end.

Whew!! 😂 😂 😂

A compulsively readable thriller that is perfect for fans of B A Paris and Liane Moriarty, The Secrets He Kept is a spine tingling tale of lies and deception that is sure to captivate and thrill readers and have them questioning how truly they know the people around them.

Sally and Tom have always had a rock-solid marriage. Their relationship is one most people would envy as they seem blissfully happy. They know everything about each other and trust one another implicitly. They have a beautiful family and the bonds that unite them seem to get stronger by the day. But Sally’s perfect marital happiness is set to shatter one day at work when her first client shows her a family photograph and she ends up collapsing in shock after spotting a very familiar figure in the picture.

In a split second, Sally realises that she is married to a perfect stranger. Who is the man she has married? What is the man she has shared her life, her bed and her body with hiding from her? Why has he betrayed her trust and what is she going to do next? Is Sally going to confront Tom and throw him out of her house and her life? Or is she so determined to keep her happy life that she will stay silent and bury the truth at all costs?

Sally may try to run and hide from what is really going on with her marriage, but she soon realises that she has absolutely nowhere to hide. When danger comes knocking on her door, who can Sally trust and turn to? The only thing she knows for sure is that she needs to keep her husband at arm’s length – but that proves to be easier said than done.

The Secrets He Kept is a book that will get under your skin and which you will keep thinking about long after you’ve turned the last page. Jackie Walsh knows how to keep her readers on edge and with The Secrets He Kept, she has penned a captivating thriller that is sinister and terrifying because what her characters are going through could easily happen to you and me.

Dark, menacing and twisted, The Secrets He Kept is another phenomenal thriller from fast rising star Jackie Walsh.

I love a plot full of unexpected twists and turns and this novel completely satisfied my need. However, the nature of it makes it one of novels that is difficult to go into without ruining the reading experience.

A normal day turns into the stuff of nightmares for Sally when a client shows a family picture to her. The woman's husband is actually Sally's husband. Sally faints in shock and when she comes around the woman is gone. So begins Sally's journey to discover the truth.

The more Sally discovers, the deeper down the rabbit hole she gets and her husband is not the only one keeping secrets.

The plot is really well paced and hooks the reader in, making it impossible to put down. It's one of those books where you intend on reading a chapter the "one more page" leads to the end.

I loved Sally's character. She's written as a normal everyday woman who just wants her family life back to normal - a character many of us can relate to. As someone who has has a very dry, often inappropriate sense of humour I found her so easy to relate to.

This is a fabulous thriller that moves at an exciting and heart-stopping pace.

Sally Cooper thought her husband had dropped the biggest possible bombshell on their marriage when he admitted to her that he had blown all her savings on an investment opportunity which failed quite spectacularly, scuppering her dream of owning her own hairdressing salon, forcing her to work all the hours she could in someone else's salon. It is whilst working in there that a customer shows her a photograph which puts her financial issues in their place and completely rocks the foundation of her marriage to Tom. A photograph which suggests her husband has a teenage son and a secret life which he has told Sally nothing about.
After much deliberation Sal confronts Tom about the possibility of the existence of the child in the photograph, but his reaction does little to calm her fears or explain anything. Tom's behaviour changes in that instant as does the whole pace of Sal's life. Yes, things were hectic before as she worked crazy hours to try to keep a roof over their heads and the bills paid - not to mention keeping up with their daughter's demands for the latest fashion and make up trends - but throw in a lack of sleep and an overactive imagination due to the fact that Sal knows her husband is keeping things from her and Sal is struggling to cope. Then a local woman is found murdered in a street not too far away from theirs, leading to the police on their doorstep.
I could totally understand Sal's torment in this book: she wants to believe her husband but the way he is acting and the facts the police are giving her are saying something different completely. Why would he lie now about the existence of the boy in the photograph? Does anyone else know? And why are the police knocking on their door in particular? She's a strong character and I admired the way she handled herself in some really tricky situations along the way but there's a limit to every person's tolerance.
I particularly liked the character of Sally & Tom's daughter, Amber; typical of many teenagers she has plenty of sarcastic lines in the book, temper tantrums and sulks, but you can see that underneath it all she's a good kid. As is often the case Amber channels most of her anger and angst towards her mum as it's she who has the "bad cop" role when it comes to parenting. While the adults have clearly tried to keep a lot of their "grown up" issues away from her she's far more astute than they realise. Dad Tom I could quite happily have strangled myself on more than one occasion and by the end of the book it appeared that maybe the boy in the photograph is more like his dad than anyone realised. After all, it's not just adults who can keep a secret is it?

#TheSecretsHeKept #NetGalley
Engrossing till the end.
He loves you
He loves your children
He’d never put his family in danger
One of these is a lie.
What happened next? Read this amazing suspense thriller to know more about this.
A good read.

Sally, a hairdresser, is doing a young girl's hair. When the girl shows her a picture that has Sally's world crumbling around her. You won't want to stop reading this thrilling book. Secret after secret, lie after lie, who is telling the truth and who is not? There are enough twists to keep this book rolling right through to the end and keep you guessing the whole time. The author did a great job with the characters, they weren't picture perfect, they had their flaws, their doubts, and that makes them relatable. I highly recommend this book if you like a psychological thriller to keep you up past your bed time.

Thank you Netgalley for the free digital copy!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Gripping read! Full of secrets, lies and twists! Kept me gripping my tablet harder and harder oh my goodness. Highly recommend it! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

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

Thank you to Sarah from Books on the Brightside publicity and the publisher for my spot on the blog tour and the arc of the book. My review is unbiased and honest. Books in the Psychological Thriller genre are my absolute favourite and the secrets he kept was an instalove affair with the cover, its intriguing and atmospheric and it didn’t disappoint.

How can I put into words just how this book made me feel? Well the only way is, Alice falling into the rabbit hole. This analogy is I’m sure accurate for Sally who ends up having her world destroyed at its axis. At first glance Sally seems to have the perfect life but Sally is struggling in the aftermath of a revelation that leaves her reeling. The novel doesn’t do gentle, the tone is immediately felt, and its haunting. Sally is a hairdresser and during her usual uneventful day has a client that shows her the one thing that can decimate her perfect existence, a photograph of her husband and this girl’s boyfriend but also her husband’s son. He doesn’t have a son, does he? Sally can’t process, her mind is like mashed potato. Things don’t make sense…her husband wouldn’t keep secrets of this magnitude, would he? I really enjoy the spousal secret plotline, but this novel uses it in a powerful depiction.

Reading The secrets, he kept felt like being in a super busy train station. Everyone and everything was moving around me, but it was all a blur. My psyche knew that they were moving but I couldn’t bring myself to look up. It was engrossing. Why is Tom lying? Is he protecting something or someone? Does Sally really want to know, or is this secret better left buried? The chapters were dark and disturbing, and it just increased the secrecy and level of paranoia surrounding Sally. Jackie Walsh is a master of the creeping unrest, the suffocating feeling of complexity, as if everything isn’t as it should be. The lies stabbed at me, why couldn’t Tom share this secret with her. Could this discovery kill her also? Just what level of interference did Kenny have? I wanted to hug Sally, the impact of this upon her life was irreparable. Be fully prepared to shout at your book or throw it across the room like I did, seriously. Some of the turns that came up had me not believing what I was reading, poor Sally.

It’s been a while since I read a book that had me feeling anxious and worried for a character. I struggled with my feelings for Tom and Kenny, the way things played out made me dislike them for the way they treated Sally, it was incomprehensible. What could possible justify behaving like that towards someone that is on your team? There through the darkness and the light, your biggest advocate. The story was complex, and the final picture would manifest itself and leave Sally and myself reeling. The truth must have been festering within Sally’s mind, how, what, where and when must have turned into a poisoned wound within her mind. Pushing for the truth was bold, but what would she do when she got it?

The authors writing skill is transcendent. The character arcs were fulfilled and brought to fruition. She draws you in and the story delivers a hauntingly devastating tale of betrayal, secrecy and the pace will ensure you buckle your seatbelt because you are in for a hell of a ride!

Sally and Tom enjoy life with three children. Sally has to work part time to make ends meet and during one of her shifts is shown a photograph of her husband and an unknown teenage boy. Sally is told this is toms son.
Shortly after, the boys mother is found muordered.
Many secrets come to light as the hunt for the killer begins. All family members seem to harbour their own secrets, later compromising an abduction.
This book moves at a fast pace with a twist at the end I didn't see coming.
A new author for me but a book I would highly recommend.