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Review: Every Secret Thing, by Emma Cole


Pages: 463

Original date of publication: 2006

My edition: 2007 (Allison and Busby)

Why I decided to read: I’m a fan of the author’s novels as Susanna Kearsley

How I acquired my copy: from the author, December 2009

Description from Amazon:

When an old man strikes up a conversation with her on the steps of St. Paul's and makes a mystifying mention of murder and an oddly familiar comment about her grandmother, Kate Murray is intrigued. But she never gets to hear the rest of Andrew Deacon's tale. Shocked by his unexpected death, she wonders whom this strange, old man is, and what the odd reference to her grandmother could mean. Interest piqued by the story never told, Kate becomes drawn into an investigation, uncovering secrets about the grandmother she thought she knew and a man she never did. Soon she is caught up in a dangerous whirlwind of events that takes her back into her grandmother's mysterious wartime past and across the Atlantic as she tries to retrace Deacon's footsteps. Finding out the truth is not so simple, however, as only a few people are still alive who know the story…and Kate soon realizes that her questions are putting their lives in danger. Stalked by an unknown and sinister enemy, and facing death every step of the way, Kate must use her tough journalistic instinct to find the answers from the past in order to have a future.

Every Secret Thing is novel that was written under Susanna Kearsley’s nom de plume, Emma Cole. This one is a bit different from her other books; rather than being a gothic romance, this is a spy story that divides its time between the present day and WWII. It’s not a straightforward spy novel, though, which is part of this novel’s charm. Our heroine is smart and plucky, but she’s not totally perfect. Although Matt’s identity was a bit transparent, there were parts of the plot of this novel that totally took me by surprise. I don’t usually read spy novels, but I thought that this one was excellent, with just the right amount of suspense thrown in. You also end up learning a lot of things about WWII, especially the Canadian involvement in it. Incidenttally, this is a great book to read in the early fall, since this book is set in the months of September/October….

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Comments

Joanne said…
Interesting -- I've just read Mariana (which I loved) and The Shadowy Horses, but I've not read any of her writing under the name Emma Cole. I've have to look into this one. Thanks for the write-up.
October 6, 2010 at 7:15 PM
Marg said…
I am planning to work my way through Susanna Kearsley's backlist including this book, in due course!
October 6, 2010 at 8:17 PM
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