Book Summary and Reviews of The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Another FAB book by Kate Morton - The Secret Keeper
To be sixteen, to witness a murder, and to keep it a secret your entire life? When would Laurel find out the "real" reason for the murder. After fifty years, she needed to ask, but could she really find the answer? She had to. Time was running out.

Set in England and moving from the 1930's to 2011, you will follow Laurel as she continues to keep this secret and attempts to find out why her mother stabbed a visitor on her brother's birthday. Did the baby see or remember anything? Could that be possible? What if he did remember? Laurel, her father, and her mother were the only ones that were supposed to know, but were they?

The storyline is intriguing and the descriptions are amazing as you go back and forth in time to see what Laurel's mother's life was like as a child and also as a young adult and what life was like for Laurel, her sisters, and her brother as they grew up on a quaint farm in a loving family. Dorothy, Laurel's mother, lead a very significant life and had interesting people in her life that shaped her and her decisions.

The book seamlessly moves between time periods giving creative details of each era in the characters' lives and has you wanting to know more. An amazing storyline that keeps you guessing about the real reason for the murder and one that makes you want to be a part of the story in order to be part of the life the characters lead in each decade of their lives.

Finding out about her mother's motives and life before she was married was a goal Laurel was determined to solve before her mother died, and her mother is the only one who could give the answers to many questions, but could their dying mother tell all? Once clues about Dorothy's past begin to surface, you will be as anxious as Laurel was to find out other secrets her mother kept to herself all her life and secrets that caused her mother to commit murder.

This book was marvelous and captivating as all of Kate Morton's books, and the ending is absolutely SUPERB.

I thoroughly enjoyed the walk through Laurel's life and the flashbacks to her mother's life. Don't miss this book or any book Kate Morton has written...you will be taken away with her exceptional writing and fantastic storytelling skills as she weaves lives and situations together into incredible books. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Jossarne

Strongly recommend
She does an excellent job of interweaving the story. I love her books! She writes complex books that keep you turning pages.

Diana C.

One of Morton's best
I have read all of Kate Morton's books, so I was of course eagerly awaiting her latest. Rich in period detail, which I have come to expect from all of Morton's books, this story moves back and forth from Second World War London to the 21st century, unraveling a family mystery. I love it when a book throws you for a loop just when you least expect it, and this story delivers such a blow just when you think you have finally solved the mystery.

RebeccaR

Glad I Discovered This thru BookBrowse
I enjoyed this book! I don't usually read "mystery" genres, and I had never read anything by this author before. I also must admit that I never would have picked up this book in a book store because the book jacket illustration just isn't "my kind." The reader will feel a variety of reactions towards characters - one minute you like them, then you might now. The plot twists and turns are interesting. The flashbacks blend smoothly into the flow of the story. I think that the premise of the book could lead to some interesting discussions: who are/were our parents really? There was one small scene where a pay phone went dead, and at that point I thought--in 2012? And a character with this income wouldn't have a cell phone? But other than that, I surprised myself by being caught up in the tale and wanting to know the outcome. Which I also liked!

Dorothy T.

Kate Morton is a master story-teller
I eagerly awaited the arrival of Kate Morton's new book and was not disappointed. Not only did this one keep me reading until midnight, it kept me awake after I turned out the light, going over details of the developments; this was especially true last night when I finished it. I am always amazed at how this writer knows how much of the story needs to be revealed and when to reveal it to keep the reader engrossed.

Dianne @ The Book Shop

Definitely secrets to be kept
One of the perks, as if we needed another, of owning a book shop is receiving advance reading copies. I was thrilled when I requested a copy of Kate Morton's new book, The Secret Keeper, which comes out in October and received one!

From the beginning of the novel you are immediately privy to secret number one. As the book continues, you realize there is a whole lot more to come.

As Laurel probes the memory of her childhood and what she saw her mother do she learns that what she witnessed was the culmination of things that had previously happened in her mother's life.

As her mother, Dorothy, lay dying the story unfolds through sequences of the past, snippets from her mother and what Laurel uncovers in her research. Laurel finds out exactly what her mother means by "I made some bad choices." At one time I found myself totally in awe of what one of these choices were. I waited breathlessly to find out the end result.

Kate Morton is a pro a story telling and building suspense. She has another great novel on her hands.

...5 more reader reviews

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