The Secret Keeper

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of The Secret Keeper – and not terribly patiently. I entered every competition I could find to try and win a copy (otherwise, I knew that my mum would buy it for Christmas - or worse my birthday – and I would have to wait simply eons to read it). Luckily, the excellent folks at The Reading Room and Allen & Unwin kindly chose me to receive a proof copy. After texting Mum to tell her I didn’t need this for Christmas, I sat down and read. Forget dinner, forget chores. This is a book that stops your world!

I’ve always enjoyed Kate Morton’s books, in particular The Shifting Fog (interestingly renamed The House of Riverton apparently because UK readers don’t like books involving fog) and The show more Forgotten Garden. I didn’t enjoy The Distant Hours quite as much but The Secret Keeper sees her return to top-notch form in my opinion.

Morton is often referred to in interviews that I’ve read as having a Gothic flavour. I’d disagree with that in the traditional sense – it’s not about dusty attics (much), creepy servants on the fringe, madness or eerie old houses (much). I’d describe this book as being more mysterious in terms of secrets, history and unfolding the past through various layers. It won’t scare the pants off you, but you will look a little drained after ‘just one more chapter’ over several nights!

The plot, like Morton’s other novels, involves multiple time periods. The main character is Laurel, and we first see her in the early 1960s, witnessing a gruesome scene involving her mother and a stranger. Jump forward to the present, as Laurel’s mother is dying and Laurel is now a famous actress. Laurel wants to know more about that fateful day and what it all meant. As Laurel discovers pieces of evidence about her mother’s time in World War II London, the reader is taken back there to experience what Laurel’s mother was up to. The book ticks along beautifully – the Blitz experiences being incredibly interesting – and I found myself wondering what the big secret was about. Then, bam! Morton packs an incredible punch and I immediately wanted to go back and reread the book to see if I could detect the big secret. (I couldn’t though because my friend demanded to read it!) For the amazing twist in the plot alone, this book is incredibly good. Add in the beautifully descriptive and evocative writing and you have a worthy bestseller.

Are there any negative about this book? Well, I thought the pace slowed a little before the big plot reveal (coincidently, just as my own schedule got busier). I would have also liked to know a little more about Laurel’s sisters and what made them so different, but that would be extraneous to the plot. But apart from that, it’s brilliant. I really enjoy books that move between past and present, talking about the everyday person experiencing extraordinary events.

I’d just like to warn Allen and Unwin in advance that I will be camping on your doorstep for the next Kate Morton book!

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Look, at least you always know what you are getting into with Kate Morton. Even if The Secret Keeper was a little disappointing for me, you still know it will deliver its quota of family DRA-MA!, secrets, and twists, with nice historical details and solid enough writing. She is good at what she does, and like Dan Brown she has pretty well perfected her formula. Her books are all like the slightly more pulpy and less intellectual cousins of Possession. I dig them. This one wasn't quite as good as some others I have read; I prefer the creepier, more gothic settings of The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours.

The exigencies of wartime/Blitz London are great fodder for novelists (see; Exhibit 1: Nancy Mitford, The Pursuit of Love; show more Exhibit 2: Elizabeth Bowen, The Heat of the Day; Exhibit 3: Kate Atkinson, Todd family saga; Exhibit 4: Graham Greene, The End of the Affair; Exhibit 5: Ian McEwen, Atonement; Exhibit 6: Muriel Spark, The Girls of Slender Means; & etc.). I think I just appreciate Morton more when she reaches back a little further in history and lets her Wilkie Collins-tinted roots show show less

Previously, The Forgotten Garden was my favorite Kate Morton book but it has been knocked off its pedestal by The Secret Keeper. Once again Morton crafts her tale by switching between time periods and revealing the story bit by tiny bit and then bringing it all together at the end. The story begins in the summer of 1961 at a family garden party where Laurel Nicholson is taking a moment for herself in the tree house. She happens to look out of the window and witnesses a crime that is rarely spoken of after that day. When the family gathers to celebrate her mother's ninetieth birthday Laurel begins to delve into what really took place all those years ago. The Secret Keeper has a cast of interesting characters some that I liked and others show more that left much to be desired. At first I liked Dorothy's character but then some of her choices revealed her true nature. Jimmy was such a sweetheart and had such a kind spirit he quickly became my favorite character. Another great thing about this novel is the suspense factor and the way the author slowly ratchets it up and keeps you wanting to read just one more page. This book is a gem! I would highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction and family drama. 5 stars! show less

I’ve read both The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours and I liked both of them very much. But The Secret Keeper was different. I didn’t just like it. I LOVED it. Kate Morton wrote an amazing book and I loved every second of it.

The story takes place both in 2011 from Laurels POV and in 1941 (in war-torn London) from Dorothy’s POV. I loved how the two storylines complimented and supported each other into making a rich and powerful story. By creating the extra storyline instead of just telling what had happened back in 1941 the reader gets to experience the whole thing and make up his/hers own mind about the events and the characters. Personally, I believe it made me think of Dorothy, Vivien, Jimmy and Henry in a different way. I show more think it made me like them so much more.

Kate Morton writes so vividly and her characters are filled with life and soul. It makes them feel like old acquaintances. She is capable of writing characters that I hated in one chapter, but loved in the next. They felt so real! The story is reeks of desperation, but it’s also filled with hope, love and survival.

The mystery was so very well done and had one twist after the other. Every time I thought, I had it all figured out, something happened that complete changed everything! It was so captivating and impossible to put down. If you like a good mystery, strong characters and a well-plotted book, The Secret Keeper is definitely worth checking out! show less

In 1961, 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson witnessed her beautiful and loving mother, Dorothy, murder a man. It is written off as an accident but Laurel is never able to reconcile her image of her almost perfect mother with that of murderess. Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a famous actress, with England's 'second most trusted face' and her mother is dying. Laurel is determined that, before Dorothy dies, she will discover what was behind that horrible event in 1961.

Switching between England during the blitz of 1941 and the present, author Kate Morton lays out what led to the murder and how Laurel slowly uncovers Dorothy's past. Morton has created some wonderful characters and a fascinating mystery in this novel about love, betrayal, and show more family secrets. She also does a pitch-perfect job of evoking the sights and sounds of London during the blitz: the periods of normalcy, the attempts to live every minute to its fullest, the ability to work selflessly to help others while, at the same time, suspending pre-war morality, and, of course, the bombings themselves which seem to explode off the pages. Her eye and ear for detail bring a feel of reality to this time period which is often lacking in historical fiction.

The journey from the murder to the final solution is a long and twisty one and the road is littered with the debris of family secrets, of plots and betrayal and lives lived in war time. Ultimately, though, it is a very satisfactory journey and one well worth taking. show less

This one started off a little slowly for me. So slowly, in fact that I didn't know if I would enjoy it.

However, once the characters were established, and I got into the rhythm of the story moving back and forth in time, I was able to enjoy it very much.

Dolly and Vivien were very interesting characters, and the supporting players were just as lively (thinking of Lady Caldicott). I was at first confused by Jimmy's draw to Dolly, as she seemed to be very high maintenance, but then I came to understand as the story moved along.

In present day, the siblings gathering to honor and then say goodbye to their mother was just as compelling. I very much enjoyed Laurel's story and would like to read a book based more on her life, and not just the show more effects of this particular story at this particular time. She seemed nicely drawn and complex, as opposed to the others.

But what will get you is the incredible tablecloth-removal-trick as the story draws to a close. I had to go back and reread a few pages to make sure I had understood what I thought had happened. It was a clincher at its best, and one I never saw coming. The last several chapters make the entire book worthwhile.

Highly recommended. show less

Kate Morton is a master at weaving past and present, at drawing you in to a narrative, at building atmospheric haze you simply feel immersed in. Her novels never ever disappoint, I am an unabashed fan-girl. Rarely does a book leave me so gob-smacked, hit me from left field, and leave me in a literary hangover for days, shaking my head. This is one I highly recommend people to stick with. Depending on your tolerance for unlikable characters you are going to feel a disconnect. The payoff is there in spades. Well done!