The Secret Keeper

I really liked this story, great writing, keeps you guessing thru it all! But ... I can't remember when I've disliked one of the main character so much (Dorothy/Dolly)!! Not to worry tho ... Thru all the twists and turns of this great read (just when you figure it out, you didn't!), it totally comes together ... So, enjoy!!

This is a very beguiling story with lots of subtle hints, but, I must admit, I was flummoxed until almost the very end trying to figure out, along with Laurel, her dying mother's secret. Juxapositioning events in modern-day England with past events during the London Blitz of 1941, Morton does a fine job of mesmerizing her reader in this mildly Gothic, psychological mystery that is steeped in intrigue. Well, it's not really a mystery, per se, so much as a complex machination of four deeply-flawed characters whose lives intertwine. It opens with the killing of a minor protagonist, but we know who did it. The mystery--Dorothy's secret--lies not in the what, but in the why--the participatory, almost heroic reasons that causes her to...Well, I'd spoil it for you if I said anything more. But in following Laurel's quest to uncover and then eventually keep her mother's secret, we are methodically and spell-bindingly led to the astonishing answers."The Secret Keeper" is, as all of Kate Morton's novels are, my kind of book. It has just about everything a good read should have: believably real-life characters; intrigue; history; lasting romance; descriptive, narrative passages; and a strikingly fresh, unassuming writing style that fluidly carries the plot line along to its unexpected surprise ending. This is a novel that kept me captivated--and nearly flummoxed--from the opening paragraph on through to the bitter-sweet ending.A relatively young Australian-based author, Morton combines her vast knowledge of English history with her love of both the dramatic arts and English literature--she holds a degree in each--into a rich tapestry whose thematic threads will keep you, as it did me, thoroughly engrossed. To say that Morton is a great writer, one who should appeal to adult readers everywhere, is almost an understatement. But, to tell the truth, it's not a secret.This review was written by June J. McInerney, Literary Blogger and author of "The Basset Chronicles".

I started with THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN and loved it; unfortunately, the next two of her books were just rated ok in MY book as a result in comparison. I then read this book last. I read some of the negative reviews, and if nothing else, it goes to prove that 'to each his/her own.' Those complaints were ones I just didn't see as possible to describe THIS book. Someone said it was too flowery in style. I found it the complete opposite. I was prepared to dislike it bc it was NOT written as in her previous novels, the words and passages had more of a clean, modern twist to it, but it worked for me. It held my interest, it was easy to get through, and I hated for the story to end. As with any story, on TV or in a book, you have to get thru the first quarter of the book sometimes to establish characters and set up the story. But once you get past that, you keep moving along. Kate Morton has a lot of twists and turns and surprises in all of her novels, but I found that this one novel along with THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN did something for me that the other two to this point I have read, did not: I wanted to read them both over again to find the little clues I missed or glossed over, deliberately set down that way by the author in a skillful, subtle way for the reader to try to catch. I liked this book very much.Update May 2023: I just read this book again! I couldn't put it down, my second time around. And it was as if I never read it the first time. I don't know how, but I enjoyed it more the second time around. Even though bits and pieces were in my mind already, many were not, and others were further clarified. Some I had initially missed. You feel you need to know every minute detail or you get an itch you can't scratch. I did that the second time around when I finished it and still had one question nagging at me; and I was feverishly going back in the earlier chapters where I knew the answer would reside and I finally found what I was looking for, a needle in the proverbial haystack. A bit compulsive but nonetheless engaging! I am now re-reading THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN. It was the first novel I read from Kate Morton and the one that got me hooked. I have read all her current novels, I still like THE SECRET KEEPER and THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN the most. I didn't love THE CLOCKMAKER'S Daughter, too many ins and outs of times and eras. My brain was ready to explode. I might reread THE LAKE HOUSE. I just read HOMECOMING, and I might end up reading that one again in the future. With Kate you want another novel after each one you finish, like potato chips.I just have to say that I am amused how some reviews complain about her describing trees, flowers, bushes, and so on. Let THEM try it. Even a simple sentence phrased such as: "Curiosity revealed itself on the heels of relief." How many complainers could even turn a phrase that way? It's downright poetic in its simplicity. If they had a chance to write that passage, they'd say, 'first she was relieved, but then curious". There are many ways to say the same thing. The key is, not everyone can do as well as Kate.