The Secret They Kept by J.S. Ellis
Published: March 8, 2022
Black Cat Ink Press
Pages: 327
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
J.S. Ellis is the author of psychological thrillers and suspense and published her debut psychological thriller in 2019, which was an instant success and received great praise from readers. She writes stories about obsession and betrayal. When she’s not putting her characters in uncomfortable, difficult positions, J.S Ellis likes to relax with her husband and their fur baby, Eloise. They live on the sunny island of Malta.
Rocks being thrown at her windows.
Haunting messages written on glass.
Items mysteriously disappearing.
Emily’s nerves are on edge, which is only made worse by the man across the street constantly screaming at his wife. By befriending their son, Lucien, she learns a dark truth about the street she now calls home. Lucien has a brother who went missing ten years ago, as did the last occupant of Emily’s house.
Emily wants to believe these ominous events are past history until her ex-boyfriend vanishes without a trace. Now, she’s convinced she is a pawn in someone’s twisted game.
“There was always darkness hidden within.”
Emily has just purchased her dream house, or so she thought. Most of her neighbors are elderly. But friendly. Her neighbors across the streets are peculiar. The wife has mental health issues, the husband is angry, and the gorgeous son. As Emily gets entwined with Lucian, the gorgeous but forbidden son from across the street, suddenly, things start to happen that cannot be explained.
Holy. This was intense! I loved every second of this book. The plot was scary yet feasible. The characters were well defined, and the plot kept me engaged.
I loved Emily. She was relatable. Lucian was well done and mysterious. I enjoyed the story within a story aspect and how the layers were presented.
I figured things out toward the end, but I was not correct. And I love that. This was a fast pace, a well-written horror story that would make an excellent movie!