Little Secrets Review

Genre:  Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date:  April 21, 2020
Purchase Link: Amazon

My Rating:  5 Frantic Hearts

A special thank you to Minotaur Books for a paperback arc of this book. #MinotaurInfluencers

From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son . . .  Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado's four-year-old son.

Note:  The full synopsis is posted below, following my review.  In my opinion, the reading experience is greatly enhanced by going into this story with as little info as possible as I did.  It's one hell of a ride!  

Review:

Little Secrets opens with Marin and her little boy Sebastian holding hands while shopping in a crowded Marketplace.  Marin promises Sebastian a giant lollipop if he's good while she shops for one last Christmas present.  She's momentarily distracted by a phone text, and in the time it takes her to realize her son is no longer holding her hand, Sebastian is gone.  Sixteen months later, he's still missing with no viable leads, and Marin's life is a living hell as she's unable to come to terms with her loss.  After the FBI search goes cold, Marin hires a private investigator (a little secret) without telling anyone.  She's convinced Sebastian was taken by someone he knew - he wouldn't go with a complete stranger.  The PI begins an intensive investigation into all of Marin and her husband's acquaintances, and what she finally uncovers will shred Marin's world into tiny pieces all over again.  How much pain can one woman possibly endure without falling over the edge?  You're about to find out.

Do yourself a favor and allow yourself a chance to read this book without knowing any details.  I consider myself lucky to have skipped all reviews as well as the synopsis/blurb before reading it.  As a result, I opened the book a complete innocent and was lured inside just as surely as Sebastian was lured away with a lollipop.  Hillier excels at rendering dark, twisted tales that keep you up at night, reeling from the unexpected revelations time and again.  A shadowy, menacing tone drives this story at a frantic pace through unexpected twists and turns.  The story unfolds through two characters points of view - one is Marin, and I won't say who the other is because its unexpected and part of the journey, the story.  The characters are not all likeable, but I think that's where the author's brilliance shines brightest.  She writes deeply flawed characters in a manner that makes them real . . . makes them human even though they may do terrible things.  They're not necessarily forgivable, but I like that Hillier cracks them open like a nutshell allowing readers to then pick at the heart of them - get to the bottom of what life experiences made them what they are.  Likewise, Hillier's ability to weave multiple plot lines with perfection is truly amazing.  Never think you know where a story will go in the end in a Hillier book because you'll most likely be wrong.

Little Secrets is a dark, raw, edgy, highly compulsive story of secrets, lies, betrayals, loss, guilt, revenge, and yes, even love.  It's about starting over at ground zero when you've lost everything.  It's about fighting for your beliefs and to keep what's yours.  It's about never, ever giving up.  It's about surviving.  I started and finished it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down without knowing everything.  Like I said, it's a highly compulsive read!  The intensity is insane, the pace frantic, and the story heartbreaking.  A enthralling thriller that I highly recommend!

My Rating:  5 Frantic Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Synopsis:

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.

Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he's rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn't her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he'll be the last. She's falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.

Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek's lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.