I’d like to thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ by Jo Spain in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The six exclusive homes in the gated community of Withered Vale surround the original smaller property belonging to Olive Collins who’s lived there for many years. The residents are shocked when Olive’s body is found in her armchair where she’s been sitting undiscovered for the past three months. It’s only when Detectives Frank Brazil and Emma Child start asking questions that they uncover the lies that the wealthy and successful residents want to keep secret.

‘Dirty Little Secrets’ is a novel about blackmail, adultery, perversion and intrigue. The chapters alternate between each of the characters who are suspected of having a hand in Olive’s demise, and the late Olive herself who wants to be a good neighbour but shows her true self as the story continues. It’s been well-written and is very easy to read, with an interesting plot that draws you in, a variety of characters, and an ending that I had neither predicted nor anticipated. It’s an entertaining novel and well worth reading.

What a great book this is.

Different from your usual police thrillers. It had a cosy feel of the gated community where the suspects all live. Who knew what really goes on behind closed doors.

Enjoyed the relationship between the two detectives too. Would be good if this could be continued in future.

4.5 stars

Want to know why I was so excited to read Dirty Little Secrets by Jo Spain? Well it’s because I have come to depend on this author to deliver an exciting thriller, that will have flying through the pages, to discover well hidden secrets. And once again she hit the bullseye for me.

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My Thoughts on Dirty Little Secrets by Jo Spain:

I absolutely devoured this deliciously dark, gossipy insight in to a closed gate community. When one neighbour turns up dead, it seems there lies mysteries behind closed doors in every single house.  And if you love bookish snooping like I do, then prepare for the secrets of the furtive residents in this ritzy neighbourhood to grip you tight.

Between the rocket fast pace, the intriguing characters and their disastrous lives, I couldn’t put it down. I loved discovering what each family was hiding, and then watching them finally come together as a real community.  Most of all I was amazed that I don't think I liked a single character. BUT was absolutely fascinated by them all.

If you like a dark plot, a mystery screaming to be solved and complex family dynamics, then I don’t think this will disappoint.

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Who should read Dirty Little Secrets by Jo Spain?

I’d recommend this to fans of psychological thrillers with gripping plots.  Or if you like Irish settings, and to those who like to be kept guessing. Fans of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins  and Can Anybody Help Me by Sinead Crowley should also enjoy.

Thank to Quercus Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

There were so many twists and turns I didn’t know how it was all going to end. Seemingly ordinary people living ordinary lives but each and everyone of them has a secret that eventually gets told making each one of these people a suspect in a possible murder. It was page turning stuff, did not know how it was going to end until the very last page. Loved reading it and loved the story.

I normally don;t enjoy books where the chapters are written by different characters but this was the exception and I enjoyed the different voices that we heard. I enjoyed the twist at the end and thought it was appropriate for this character.

A psychological thriller that takes the concept of a 'country house mystery' with it's limited number of suspects and closed setting, and moves it to a modern-day Irish gated community.

Six neighbours, six secrets, six reasons to want Olive Collins dead. In the exclusive gated community of Withered Vale, people's lives appear as perfect as their beautifully manicured lawns. Money, success, privilege - the residents have it all. Life is good. There's just one problem. Olive Collins' dead body has been rotting inside number four for the last three months. Her neighbours say they're shocked at the discovery but nobody thought to check on her when she vanished from sight. The police start to ask questions and the seemingly flawless facade begins to crack. Because, when it comes to Olive's neighbours, it seems each of them has something to hide, something to lose and everything to gain from her death.

I really enjoyed this! The multiple narratives, chapter by chapter, worked together to slowly peel away the layers of artifice that each set of neighbours has set around themselves and exposed the tension of appearance vs reality - how the neighbours see themselves as to how others see them. This combined to create a level of suspense that I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed the dynamics of the police duo, Frank and Emma, and the descriptions of 'the perfect couple', David and Lily, were genuinely amusing.

And I did enjoy 'the reveal' at the end; even though I did work out 'who did it' beforehand, it was still lots of fun getting there.

I just finished the 4th book in the Jo Spain Tom Reynolds series last week, which I loved, probably my favourite in the series so far. So I just had to jump to read this latest offering from Jo Spain, the new standalone, Dirty Little Secrets.

I absolutely loved it. Couldn't put it down. Set in the exclusive gated community of Withered Vale, Olive Collins is found dead in her house. We are introduced to a number of characters, all neighbours and all with their various secrets that they don't want exposed. Each chapter is told from different character perspectives and Olive is very helpful to the reader in her chapters revealing snippets of information on each one! The chapters are short and snappy, keeping the story moving along at great pace. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to keep up!

Another winner for Jo Spain for 2019 and so very well deserved.

My thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books

Every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Olive Collins is the neighbour everyone loves to hate - which makes the 'whodunnit' harder to spot. There is literally a street full of viable suspects. Read late into the night with this one; just couldn't bear to part with it.
Full review to follow after publication, as it will appear in print media.

I really enjoyed The Confession and was delighted to get the opportunity to read Dirty Little Secrets by Jo Spain. This was another excellent read that had me gripped from start to finish. Someone is found dead (3 months later) in a gated community and it seems that each neighbour has their own secrets and motives. Whodunit? Great character development with the story jumping between several characters POV. Well done again Jo Spain!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Quercus Books for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Tension builder


A completely involving "WhoDunnIt" psychological thriller, set amongst a small community.

Within a gated community of six houses, where everyone gets along and enjoys occasional community events, Olive is found dead. And no-one had noticed for months!

This great read delves into the lives of the occupants of this small community. Behind each of those pristine front doors are secrets that need to be kept secret. However now that the police are asking awkward questions it seems Olive wasn't as popular as first thought. As the inhabitants of each of the houses gradually let their secrets out, including the now deceased Olive at No. 4, so the suspense grows.

The investigation is led by Detective Frank Brazil, who is looking forward to retirement, and Emma Child who is at the beginning of her detective career. They make a great team, add humour, and really enhance the story. Hope to see more of them in future books by Jo Spain!

4*s from me. From the first chapter I was completely into the characters, and later on enjoyed trying to guess who did it (I got it totally wrong!). This is a great light thriller where the characters build up well leading towards the disclosure at the end. Great "curl up and enjoy" book.

I really liked this book, a good story and unusual characters, not all nice, it made me think about you should be careful what you wish for.

I first came across Jo Spain’s books last year when I read The Confession, a standalone novel and then The Darkest Place, her 4th Inspector Tom Reynolds Mystery book, both very good books. So I was keen to read her latest book, a psychological thriller, Dirty Little Secrets, another standalone book. I really enjoyed this very readable page-turner, keen to discover all the secrets.

It’s set in Withered Vale, a small, gated community of just seven houses, outside the small village of Marwood in Wicklow in Ireland. On the surface it is a perfect place where the wealthy live their privileged lives and keep themselves to themselves – until a cloud of bluebottles stream out of the chimney of number 4 and Olive Collins’ dead and disintegrating body is discovered inside. She had been dead for three months and none of the neighbours had bothered to find out why she hadn’t been seen all that time. But someone must have known what had happened to her – the question being who?

When DI Frank Brazil, near to his retirement, and his partner young Emma Child arrive it’s not clear whether Olive’s death was accidental death or suicide. But they quickly establish that the boiler had been pumping out carbon monoxide and the vents and the letter box had been taped up. It was then obvious that her death was either suicide or murder. There is plenty of DNA in the house, as it turns out that all the neighbours had visited Olive. She had tried to interfere in each of their lives and each one of them had something to hide, from past crimes, past relationships, addictions, and blackmail. They’re all suspects as each one had a motive for killing Olive.

I liked the way Jo Spain has structured her book – each character is introduced and gradually more and more facts about their lives and personalities are revealed. And Olive’s dead voice is interspersed among these people, revealing her personality, thoughts and relationships with the others, and showing just went on behind all the closed doors. I was fascinated and went from one person to the next wondering who was guilty, changing my mind as the book progressed. The characters are convincing and so it was easy to work out who was who and how they all interacted. The ending surprised me as although I had suspected what had taken place I hadn’t foreseen the whole picture.

I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Withered Vale went from being a place where the neighbours lived their lives in isolation to a much more united community as together they faced the enormity of what had happened.

My thanks to the publishers, Quercus, for my review copy via NetGalley.

What a fantastic read this was. Following a gated street after a murder. Playing neighbours against each other and laying there whole lives out for all. It was great. Huge mix of different characters thrown in. You always imagine these gated communities are close knit. Not one of your neighbours dying and lying unnoticed for 3 months. Follow this story one neighbour at a time in this who done it classic

My first novel by Jo Spain and what a treat! Compulsively readable - I was up late trying to finish it.

The main character, Olive is dead. Not newly dead but twelve weeks dead, recently discovered mouldering in her armchair. What sort of community doesn't notice a neighbour missing for twelve weeks?

Middle aged and a spinster, Olive lived in an exclusive gated community - one where everyone should have been close. When the land around her isolated house in rural Ireland was bought up and six other houses built around her, she was happy to have neighbours and looked forward to making friends. But it was not to be. Olive had a good nose for finding out people's secrets and very few of her neighbours were unhappy that she was dead.

Detectives Frank Brazil and Emma Child suspect foul play. Together they make an odd and entertaining couple and the perfect foil for each other. He is the crusty, experienced policeman looking forward to retirement and she is the up and coming bright young woman not long out of training college. In deliciously told alternating chapters Olive tells of her relationship with her neighbours while they tell their side of the story. Frank and Emma soon discover that everyone has dirty little secrets and a motive for killing Olive. An excellent murder mystery - it kept me hooked, right up to that delightful twist at the end!

Six neighbours, six secrets, six reasons to want Olive Collins dead. Think Miss Marple meets Brookside. A gated community where someone is murdered, and all the neighbours have motives to kill. Every page keeps you guessing until the very end. Amazing read and such a unique and fresh story. Well done Jo Spain.

Oh my, what storyteller Jo Spain has become. Absolutely enthralling, riveting read.who knows what goes on behind closed doors, I was totally shocked at the ending but then that's how good Jo is. Definitely recommend this story

Wow what a thrilling read. A real page turner loved it! Interesting characters, fantastic story would recommend this to anyone.

Having loved The Confession I had been eagerly looking forward to reading this. I love Jo’s books, the story telling is fantastic and you really feel like you know the characters. This one is the same. Once I had got to grips with all the difference residents I was absolutely absorbed with all their stories. Twisting and turning, my opinions of the neighbours was constantly changing and the ending was both surprising yet in a way satisfactory.
With thanks to Quercus for my early copy.

I loved this book! Really excellent, although it did take me a wee while to get into at first as all the characters were introduced. Stick with it though, it is definitely worth it!
Middle aged Olive is found dead, her body rotting for the last three months. She lived in a gated community and the killer appears to be one of the residents. When detectives Frank and Emma - both characters written brilliantly, I loved their quirks - begin investigating Olive's death, none of the neighbours seem unduly upset, in fact some seem positively relieved that she is dead. Each neighbour seems to have had some kind of disagreement with Olive in the past, and as these are revealed, we also learn of these events from Olive's point of view.
Very cleverly written, each neighbour has a 'dirty little secret' and I do love a story with dysfunctional families and twisted characters! Extremely enjoyable read, I would definitely recommend.

This is Jo Spain's latest standalone psychological thriller set in a privileged and wealthy gated community development on the outskirts of a village in Wicklow in Ireland. The police descend on this tiny neighbourhood after the body of Olive Collins, a retired woman in her mid-fifties, is discovered in a liquified state after lying undiscovered in her home for three months. 53 year old DI Frank Brazil is looking forward to retirement, tired after all he has seen, but he is dismayed when evidence suggests that this could be a suspicious death requiring an in depth investigation rather than what appeared at first to be a suicide. His partner, 28 year old detective Emma Child is more ambitious and delighted with the challenge that the inquiry represents.

On the surface the small community appear to be respectable and normal, but why did no-one check on Olive? Surely it would be neighbourly to inquire when she is not seen for so long? In a narrative that is relayed through the perspective of those on this estate and the police officers, we find much bubbles below the veneer. There are secrets galore, porn addiction, affairs, rivalries, petty feuds, efforts to stay below the radar for a number of reasons, confrontations, conflict and more. Olive herself was a desperately lonely woman who made strong efforts to get close to her neighbours, only to be constantly rebuffed which she did not take well. She was partial to interfering in the lives of others, jealous, issuing warnings, taking advantage of others, judgmental, and not above engaging in machinations to engineer particular outcomes. The police begin to uncover the seething mass of emotions of hatred, rage and more directed at the dead Olive, unmasking a host of suspects.

My favourite highlights of the novel was the developing relationship between Frank and Emma, the twisted ending and the characters of Alison Daly and her daughter, Holly, with their traumatic history. Jo Spain's novels are always a delight to read, guaranteed to be gripping and compelling, full of suspense and tension, with a great cast of characters. This is a engrossing and entertaining thriller that I was glued to throughout until I reached the ending. A wonderful psychological thriller! Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.