Needless to say, there are lots of red herrings as the story twists and turns its course throughout the book and quite a few times I was caught in the trap of believing that everything had been fully revealed. I did finish the book and the storyline, which was quite interesting, came to end with the mystery concluded, however there is the ongoing case for the next book. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I was surprised when it turned out that one of the characters I thought was shady wasn't and it was someone I hadn't suspected at all. As to the fire in the church and the mystery surrounding it - it's all made clear at the end, but Gold lets us know that the issues brought up as a result are far from being settled.

I hadn't read Robert Gold's debut novel and I'm generally a completionist when it comes to book series however this can definitely be read as a standalone. Freshly promoted to Detective Constable, Dani Cash, now working with Haddley Police Station CID, has been assigned to attend (and investigate) an incident of a fire at St Stephen's church. There were so many parts of this book that had me shocked at the twists but there were other parts where I did guess what had happened. It’s not until the end where information is revealed and it just keeps unwinding up until the last page. I also like how this book is written a lot more than the first - it doesn’t waste time with unnecessary details, it just gets straight to the point.A book designed to be read in one sitting because it is so easy to read and full of characters have you questioning motives and wanting the truth to be exposed. I won’t say too much about the plot as I don’t want to spoil, but unlike the first book which dived into Ben’s life and the secrets hiding, this book focused on Dani and her life and things that happened in her past and I loved that. As Ben investigates the circumstances around the death, it is clear that his small town has a number of secrets that it would rather remain hidden. I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first instalment of the series - the pace of this one was so much better and I like how each chapter ends on a mini cliffhanger because it makes you want to read on more.

Both Ben and Dani are engaging, likeable characters albeit with complex lives, and you can certainly feel sympathy for them.Come per il libro precedente, mi è piaciuto che anche qui siamo nel territorio del thriller psicologico, dove ogni personaggio ha segreti, rancori, nemici e amici. This follows Dani and her pursuit of the truth to her early days and why her dad was so motivated to find the drug dealers who always escaped his clutches.

The multiple characters and threads to this story, simply showed me a clever, thoughtful and insightful author. Gold has weaved a very complex family backstory for Dani and the further into the story you go, the more is explored and some of the revelations are a definite eye-opener. Each chapter is told from a different person point of view, but it's not immediately obvious who's point of view you are reading, and I found I didn't know until 3-4 pages into each chapter. As the police investigate the fire long buried human remains are discovered which turn out to have a major significance for Ben’s friend, Dani Cash who is a policewoman who has helped Ben on a previous case. Not so good points: I'm afraid I found that the plot just didn't grip me after the first bout of initial excitement at the beginning.I liked the slow build up of the plot with a number of strands which are gradually brought together. However, I did find the pace and plot dropping quite quickly and found the middle section not as exciting to read. A satisfying crime thriller that sucks you into the vortex of a close-knit community jolted by lies and violence ― lovereading. Robert Gold is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Ben Harper series, which includes Twelve Secrets , a Richard and Judy Book Club pick , Eleven Liars and Ten Seconds . Robert now lives in Putney and his new hometown served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Haddley in Twelve Secrets.