noveldeelights 's review for:

The Secret Room by Jane Casey

5.0

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It’s probably common knowledge by now that I can’t step away from a locked room mystery and ‘The Secret Room‘ definitely had the potential to break my brain into tiny little pieces while I tried to figure out how this murder was committed.

One person goes into a room, and doesn’t come out again. Ilaria Cavendish is found dead in a hotel room bathtub. But cameras show that nobody else, apart from Ilaria’s lover who found her, ever went in and out of the room either. There’s no record of any other keycard being used either. Puzzling for sure. Not only is there the mystery to solve of who wanted this woman dead, but also how they did it.

The case is a welcome distraction for Maeve, who needs something else but the mess that is her personal life to think about. Unfortunately for Maeve, shocking news is coming her way regarding Josh Derwent, and things may never be the same again. You’ll have to discover for yourself what that might be. However, I have to say that if you’ve been following this series and have been paying attention, or maybe just have a very suspicious mind like I do, nothing that happens here come as a big surprise. 

Here be my niggle. For the first time in this series, the whole Kerrigan/Derwent thing was annoying the bejeebus out of me. The back and forth, the pulling in and pushing away, the yes and no and the maybe, the jealousy and the hurt feelings, and just … argh! Derwent makes it very clear he doesn’t want Maeve around and yet she still chases after him like a desperate, little puppy, coming across as so much weaker than she really is. This whole thing was a total distraction for me. It took time away from the mysterious death of Ilaria Cavendish and I desperately wanted to know how this seemingly impossible murder was achieved. Of the good, when that was finally revealed, I wasn’t at all disappointed by the cleverness.

There is so much I can’t talk about where ‘The Secret Room‘ is concerned. You’d do well to stay away from reviews and possible spoilers. Needless to say, this story is full of deceit, manipulation, and a sticky web of lies. Despite my niggle, it is a fantastic addition to the series and it’ll be quite interesting to see where it goes from here.