This is a superbly creepy tale of what happens when dating goes wrong. Miranda meets Brendan, a handsome man with whom she starts dating and has a two week affair. Then she decides he's actually a little creepy and clingy and gives him the elbow. Nothing unusual there. However, just a couple of weeks later, Miranda's older, less confident sister, Kerri, announces she has met the love of her life and she wants Miranda to meet him. I think you can guess where this is headed ... Yes; Kerri's new boyfriend is Brendan.

Brendan acts like the perfect man around Kerri and her parents, but when alone with Miranda, he says ugly, threatening things to her. He constantly tries to hit on her, and Miranda is creeped out and angry. So, as anyone would, she tells her family about Brendan. But they don't believe her. They all think she is jealous of Kerri and Brendan. And the more frightening Brendan becomes, and even after Troy (her brother) takes his own life, her family still believe Brendan when he says Miranda is obsessed with him and can't handle his being with Kerri. This is where my problem lay. Kerri has been with Brendan for a couple of weeks, yet her supposedly-close family instantly believe his word over Miranda's. That doesn't ring true, and I couldn't stop thinking that this wouldn't happen in real life as I read.

I have to say, the suspense is fab, and it doesn't let up at all. We wait with baited breath for the moment Brendan and Miranda have their final showdown. However, when I reached the end, it all seemed a bit abrupt. Suddenly, we were there — at the climax — and it was all over.

This was a tough one for me because I am a massive fan of Nicci French. I've read a ton of their books, and I've loved them all. Until this one. I didn't not love it, but it's by far the meekest link so far.

Fans of psychological thrillers. People who love suspense to be on every page.

Brendan Block. What a fabulous, sinister antagonist. As a reader, I found myself wondering what his final attack on Miranda would be. It felt like he was probably capable of anything. He's wonderfully hideous.

All of the female characters. Miranda, Kerri, their mum, Laura ... none of them are likeable. None of them grabbed my attention and made me take notice. I just felt irritated and frustrated by them. I didn't think they were realistic, and usually, characterisation is one of Nicci Gerrard's strengths.

Disappointed. Frustrated. Irritated. It made me want to read another Nicci French just to prove to myself there is a reason I've previously loved their work.

Nicci French is the pen name for husband and wife writing team, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. For me, they are at the top of the psychological thriller tree and have been for over twenty years. In all of their other books that I've read, they write the most wonderfully flawed and fascinating characters, along with the most heinous baddies. Their plots are twisty, with an emphasis placed on examining human nature.

It is a quick, easy read. It is dark and suspenseful.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Secret Smile   from Amazon.Com!

Created Mar 17, 2021 at 7:27am • Submit your own review...