‘Twelve Secrets’ by Robert Gold | @books_gold @BooksSphere | #TwelveSecrets

Author : Robert Gold
Title : Twelve Secrets
Pages : 440
Publisher : Little Brown UK
Publication date : March 3, 2022

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Ben Harper, true crime journalist, is about to unravel his most shocking story yet . . . his own.

The day his older brother was murdered was the day Ben Harper’s life changed forever.

In one of the most shocking crimes in national history, Nick and his friend were stabbed to death by two girls their own age. Police called the killings random, a senseless tragedy.

Twenty years on Ben is one of the best true crime journalists in the country. He has left the past behind, thanks to the support of his close-knit hometown community.

But when he learns about a fresh murder case with links to his brother’s death, Ben’s life is turned upside down once more. He soon find himself caught in a web of lies, one that implicates everyone around him. And on his quest for answers, Ben discovers one very important truth:

Everyone has secrets.
But some secrets are deadlier than others.

| MY THOUGHTS |

Goodness me! There is SO MUCH awesome crime fiction out there right now and this is another goodie! If you like tv series like Broadchurch, then I think you’ll enjoy ‘Twelve Secrets‘ too.

Ben Harper is a true crime reporter. Twenty years ago, his older brother Nick and his friend were brutally murdered by two teenage girls. Ten years later, Ben’s mum jumped in front of a train. And it’s because of that anniversary that Ben’s boss asks him to write an article. Ben is reluctant, happy to finally be living his life away from the spotlight, and with no desire to see his name and face on the front page again. But then, he learns about a murder case. One that has links to his brother’s shocking death.

Nothing in this small town is what it seems. We meet a variety of intriguing characters, many of whom get their own POV chapters, and most of them seem to be hiding something. Actually, there are more secrets than you can shake a stick at! That alone already made this book extremely compelling and addictive because as the reader you’d obviously like to figure out the secrets before they’re revealed to you and how this cast of characters is connected. Yeah, good luck with that!

‘Twelve Secrets‘ is incredibly well written. Throughout the story, I could see the scenes playing out in front of my eyes and I think it would make an excellent tv show. It’s fabulously plotted, very cleverly done, and with truly delightful twists and turns. Most of which I didn’t see coming at all and honestly, that doesn’t happen all that often these days. ‘Twelve Secrets‘ had me hooked from start to finish and kind of took me by surprise. In a good way. While the description sounded really enticing, I was worried that I’d have to pull out my “been there, read that” t-shirt but no! Not even close.

There’s more to ‘Twelve Secrets‘ than just finding the skeletons in the closets and the truth of past events. Delving into his past isn’t easy for Ben but he’s not the only one who’s dealing with grief and loss. There are other topics that are brought up that add a rather emotional side to this crime fiction tale. It feels like there are some loose ends but I think that this might be the first in a series and I’d be very much okay with that. I thoroughly enjoyed this remarkable debut by Robert Gold. Did I mention addictive? Compelling? Binge-worthy? Right then, off you pop to get your copy!

Twelve Secrets is out today! My thanks to Little Brown UK for the advanced review copy, which I received via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.