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The Darkest Secret

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The Darkest Secret

By: Alex Marwood
Narrated by: Imogen Church
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About this listen

Apologies for the general email, but I desperately need your help. My goddaughter, Coco Jackson, disappeared from her family's holiday home in Bournemouth on the night of Sunday/Monday, August 29/30, the bank holiday weekend just gone. Coco is three years old.

When identical twin Coco goes missing during a family celebration, there is a media frenzy. Her parents are rich and influential, as are the friends they were with at their holiday home by the sea. But what really happened to Coco?

Over two intense weekends - the first when Coco goes missing and the second 15 years later, at the funeral of her father - the darkest of secrets will gradually be revealed....

Taut, emotive and utterly compelling, a pause-resisting, 'ripped from the headlines' novel that you will want to talk about with everyone you know.

2017, Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, Long-listed

©2015 Alex Marwood (P)2015 Hachette Audio Crime Thrillers Fiction Mystery Police Procedurals Psychological Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Crime
All stars
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This book is told from a few points of view and moves back and forth in time. Interesting development of characters. Lots of twists. Great book, very easy listening.

Great drama

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The storyline is very good with characters that you feel many different emotions towards - empathy, sorrow, disgust and even liking at times! The voices used by the narrator were a little annoying, especially the voice used for Sean. However, overall the experience was enjoyable.

Excellent plot

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Couldn't put it down........a story to be read without interruption. Twists and turns that are unexpected

Compellingly complex

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Engrossing storyline with twists and turns throughout. Excellent character development. Couldn't stop listening ! Highly recommended.

Riveting storyline

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I enjoyed the story, but the ending was rushed and left too much unanswered. Disappointed.

A sequel to tie up the loose ends?

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[{ "answer" : "The promised secret was revealed late in the story and the ending felt rushed and unfinished. The focus was more on what the secret was and didn't really deal with what happens after it was discovered. Even the predictable 'twist' only revealed in the epilogue was left so late that you wondered if you had predicted the plot wrongly, until at the last paragraphs releasing you were right all along. ", "type" : "Overall", "question" : "What would have made The Darkest Secret better?", "id" : 50, "typeString" : "overall" }, { "answer" : "No.", "type" : "Story", "question" : "Has The Darkest Secret put you off other books in this genre?", "id" : 14, "typeString" : "story" }, { "answer" : "The tone and inflections of the characters make it easier to understand the mindsets of the various points of view.", "type" : "Performance", "question" : "What does Imogen Church bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?", "id" : 16, "typeString" : "performance" }, { "answer" : "Heather, India, or the other extra children. They are surplus to the plot.", "type" : "Genre", "question" : "What character would you cut from The Darkest Secret?", "id" : 60, "typeString" : "genre" }, { "answer" : "It is disappointing that characters not involved in the original secret do not get to learn the full truth of it. It would have been worth exploring the psychological implications, especially given one of the pivotal story tellers seems obsessed with psychological conditions. A plot thread where that character explores justice / revenge could have been interesting. Also, there is a death which is touched on but never fully delved into. Given the cause of the death of '#3', it seems like an opportunity missed to not have '#4' explicitly implicated...?", "type" : "Misc", "question" : "Any additional comments?", "id" : -1, "typeString" : "misc" } ]

Completely Predictable

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