Dead Secret Audiobook By Janice Frost cover art

Dead Secret

DS Merry & DI Neal Series, Book 1

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Dead Secret

By: Janice Frost
Narrated by: Madeleine Brolly
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Who killed Amy Hill? Amy Hill, a 19-year-old student, is strangled and her body dumped on open ground in the city. New police partners, DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry are called in to investigate this brutal crime.

The last person to see Amy alive was Simon, the son of a family friend, but before he can be properly questioned he disappears. Detectives Neal and Merry are led on a trail of shocking family secrets and crimes. Can this duo track down the murderer before anyone else dies? Stopping this tragic cycle of violence will put DS Merry’s life at risk in a thrilling and heart-stopping finale.

©2015 Janice Frost (P)2018 W.F. Howes Ltd Crime Crime Thrillers Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Thriller Thriller & Suspense Exciting Heartfelt Suspense

Critic reviews

"If you read one detective thriller this year make it Dead Secret. I really couldn't put this mystery down. Great pace, well-developed characters with some very dark pasts." (Ann Abrams)

"A brilliant new detective writer who will have you reading all night. I loved it." (Chris Child)
All stars
Most relevant  
I tried but couldn’t get into through this one, though narration was pitch-perfect. I may try again. As my editor, dear friend and mentor wisely told me in 1979, “If everyone liked the same things, the world would indeed be a boring one.” RIP Dan Di Leo 

Just not for me right now

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This installment was an excellent start to a new series. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me hoping there was no en to this roller coaster. I highly recommend this to thriller fans.

Excellent start to a new series

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The story/mystery/murder was really good. Hard to guess where the outcome is going, which made it fun. However the writer relied on a lot of typical cliches (e.g. que the goth girl in the bookstore, prodigy child...). The constant reminder that Ava was the "most beautiful" woman everywhere she went was distracting. We didn't need reminding every other paragrah, we got it before the first 25+ times. Ava herself is written as low-class trash, obsessed with using her looks and justifying sleeping with a pedophile. DS Merry was written as very attractve and that was also constantly mentioned, His home life somewhat interesting, set up for the future. Good enough to recommend and I will go on to the next in the series, just hope Ava was checked for STDs.

Good but lots of cliches

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Loved the characters, as they were woven between each other’s lives. A solid story line!

Excellent woven thread throughout the book

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The author commits, what I believe is an enormous blunder - Ava's behavior isnt reckless (that would be tolerable) - her behavior is actually moronic and demeaning. We expect our protagonists to have adult relationships, what the author does to Ava is cheapen her like a Red Sparrow bimbo. We get that she's stunning and young - don't make her randy 17 year old. Making good choices can be sexy. I'm not going to wait 4 books for her to develop some discretion - the Doctor in book 3 doesn't redeem the author's misstep

Just a slim hope for the partnership & series

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please don't waste your time no real story, timeliness hard to follow monotone narrator would give no stars.

ugh

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