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A review by nzlisam
We All Have Our Secrets by Jane Corry
3.0
It was all a bit mediocre!
A serious incident on the job sees Midwife Emily Gentle fleeing to her childhood home in Cornwall to care for her ailing father – Harold Gentle. But, when Emily arrives, she is greeted by an unwelcome surprise – her father has hired a career, Francoise Alarie. She’s young and pretty, and Emily’s disturbed by the close, unnatural relationship she witnesses between Francoise and her father. There’s just something about her Emily doesn’t trust. What secrets is she hiding? Because Emily knows all about secrets. So does Harold.
Based on past experience, a Jane Corry psychological thriller is a guaranteed multi-layered mystery with phenomenal twists that keep me guessing right up until the last page. Unfortunately, We All Have Our Secrets was more domestic family drama, parent/child relationships, with a side romantic subplot than suspenseful thriller, and the drama was average at best. There were unpredictable twists, but they were kind of meh, and after finishing I was like, “Is that It?”
POV’s alternated between Emily and Francoise, with Part 1 narrated by Emily, Part 2, Francoise, etc. There were also italicised diary entries penned by Harold Gentle dating back to 1945 when German occupied France. Having both Emily and Francoise as POV’s didn’t really work for me, as they tended to overlap in regards to the reveal of secrets, resulting in repetitive plot points. I also thought this novel was overly long especially towards the end.
The writing was Jane Corey’s usual high standard, and just because this one didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean I’d give up on her. The first three books I read by her were 5 star reads, and the fourth, a four, so she is definitely a talented author. Here’s hoping her next book is a return to form, and is more thriller than drama.
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Penguin UK, and Jane Corry for the e-ARC.
Out now!
A serious incident on the job sees Midwife Emily Gentle fleeing to her childhood home in Cornwall to care for her ailing father – Harold Gentle. But, when Emily arrives, she is greeted by an unwelcome surprise – her father has hired a career, Francoise Alarie. She’s young and pretty, and Emily’s disturbed by the close, unnatural relationship she witnesses between Francoise and her father. There’s just something about her Emily doesn’t trust. What secrets is she hiding? Because Emily knows all about secrets. So does Harold.
Based on past experience, a Jane Corry psychological thriller is a guaranteed multi-layered mystery with phenomenal twists that keep me guessing right up until the last page. Unfortunately, We All Have Our Secrets was more domestic family drama, parent/child relationships, with a side romantic subplot than suspenseful thriller, and the drama was average at best. There were unpredictable twists, but they were kind of meh, and after finishing I was like, “Is that It?”
POV’s alternated between Emily and Francoise, with Part 1 narrated by Emily, Part 2, Francoise, etc. There were also italicised diary entries penned by Harold Gentle dating back to 1945 when German occupied France. Having both Emily and Francoise as POV’s didn’t really work for me, as they tended to overlap in regards to the reveal of secrets, resulting in repetitive plot points. I also thought this novel was overly long especially towards the end.
The writing was Jane Corey’s usual high standard, and just because this one didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean I’d give up on her. The first three books I read by her were 5 star reads, and the fourth, a four, so she is definitely a talented author. Here’s hoping her next book is a return to form, and is more thriller than drama.
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Penguin UK, and Jane Corry for the e-ARC.
Out now!