This is the first book I couldn't finish. Unfortunately, it was becoming too hard to pick up since I was getting no pleasure from reading it.

The writing felt disjointed and the author relied far more on the f-word than I was comfortable with. In my opinion it's lazy writing to continually chose one word rather than use various others.

And for me the story was too hard to follow or care about.

That said, if the synopsis of this book sounds good to you, I would certainly give the book a try. Most reviewers are rating this book high. At this point my thoughts are by far the minority.

I’m ashamed to say I’ve not read any of this author’s previous books, something I’ll be rectifying PDQ. Luckily it wasn’t an issue. Although this is part of the Grace Macallan series, she plays a very minor role as Ritchie switches the focus to another group of characters. And what a bunch they are. My recurring thought while reading this was good Lord, these people deserve each other.

This dark, addictive tale is a cops vs gangsters story set in Edinburgh. I can’t even describe it as good guys vs. bad as there’s little moral ground between the 2 sides. It all begins when an ambitious detective schemes to acquire criminal informants in her quest for promotion. DI Janet Hadden already has an impressive clearance rate but has been passed over because of her social skills. As in lack thereof. That’s fine. She’ll just employ some of her other talents to get what she wants.

Her target is Dominic Grainger, the eldest of 3 brothers who run a criminal empire. He’s a brash, confidant guy who looks more like a businessman than a gangster. Keeping his 2 younger brothers in check is a constant challenge. But he has 2 other more pressing problems.

The first is his wife. They’re the poster couple for the old adage “marry in haste, repent at leisure”. Divorce is an option but she’ll take him for everything right down to the contents of his sock drawer. Which might be all she gets if he can’t solve problem #2. Dominic is a gambler. Unfortunately he’s not very lucky & if his brothers ever find out how much of their money is missing….well, brotherly love has it’s limits.

They are the 2 MC’s but there’s a large peripheral cast that are very well developed. Stand outs include Davy McGill, a young low level drug dealer who’s never caught a break in his life & Frankie Mason, a grungy but resourceful PI who gets caught up in the whole mess.

The plot is impossible to summarize. It’s incredibly complex but due to the author’s story telling abilities, you never feel lost. Instead you become completely immersed in the characters’ machinations, bracing yourself for the next hit. I can think of only a handful who have any redeeming qualities. As for the rest, their scheming & subterfuge would reduce Machiavelli to tears.

If noir & hard boiled fiction had a conjugal visit, this would be the result. It’s like watching 2 speeding trains heading straight at each other…..you fear what will happen but you can’t look away. If you’re a fan of cozies and/or HEA, move along. Nothing to see here. But for those who love the dark, gritty stuff of authors such as Ken Bruen, Malcolm Mackay or Stuart Neville's "Ghosts of Belfast", you just found your next great read.

4.5 stars

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Think I have just found a new author to read. I like police thriller books and this is up there with a really good read

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


i really had a hard time getting into this book.. so much so that i DNF it around 30ish% in. The book was slow... it felt scattered.. and i just could NOT get myself interested in it.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Very fragmented and made little to no sense. I just couldn't get into this whatsoever. The characters say one thing in one sentence and in the next completely contradict it. Very bad writing.

Our Little Secrets is the fifth police procedural in the Superintendent Grace Macallan series, and it's an excellent addition to an already addictive series. Each instalment can be read independently without issue. It's an original story which is not so much about the police investigating a crime perpetrated by a member of the public but instead, Macallan and her squad in Counter Corruption look into questionable police actions and underhand, unsavoury tactics.

It centres around DI Janet Hadden who decides to take matters into her own hands by recruiting trustworthy confidential informants and hiring a notorious gangster-type to help her. All of this is in order to get ahead of the game and hopefully gain a promotion. Unfortunately for Janet, Grace catches wind of what is going on and thus begins an investigation that will blow the whole scenario wide open. With so many unscrupulous dealings will Grace ever get to the bottom of it all?

This is a fast-paced, intense read with twists and turns galore and a potent concoction of drama, mystery and suspense which never lets up. I was captivated by the shocking, complex plot and found the characters to be unforgettable. You get to know them well as the plot changes perspectives allowing you to get into their psyche making the story wonderfully rounded. I found the amount of double-crossing going on thoroughly engrossing as enemies masqueraded as friends and no one was quite what they seemed. With a lot of shocking incidents, this was a highly entertaining thrill ride. Many thanks to Black & White Publishing for an ARC.

This was a good mystery to me. It was well plotted and paced with good characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

This is a very good thriller with an excellent plot. A good set of characters and plenty suspense and drama to interest the reader. I enjoy this author's books and would recommend to lovers of police procedurals and thrillers. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

When I requested this book, I didn't know that it was part of a series. But that never matters as I still read to enjoy it anyway. However, this book? I simply could not get in to. I found there was way too much description (of which I am NOT a fan but have still enjoyed books that have) and I really couldn't make head nor tail of what was going on. I read a lot of British and Scottish thrillers, so I am used to the talk and some of the slang, but those used here I was completely lost with. It is meant to be a police procedural thriller, but I found it to be mostly about the gangster crime family. And gangsters are not my thing either, which probably didn't help.

The premise for OUR LITTLE SECRETS sounded promising, but in my opinion failed to deliver. But don't take my word for it, as many others have loved the book and given it rave reviews. I just couldn't. And that is just my opinion.

I would like to thank #PeterRitchie, #NetGalley and #BlackAndWhitePublishing for an ARC of #OurLittleSecrets in exchange for an honest review.

Unpopular opinion, but I had a difficult time getting into this one. I'm not sure if it's because of the storyline or the genre, but I found it very difficult. Although this was the case, I truly appreciate the writing!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Black and White Publishing for an advance copy of Our Little Secrets, the fifth novel set in Edinburgh to feature Superintendent Grace Macallan.

DI Janet Hadden is frustrated by her lack of promotion and decides to take a few risks and bend the rules in her recruitment of career enhancing confidential informants and the resulting quality information. She should be careful in what she wishes for because her plans don’t go smoothly, especially when Grace Macallan, now in Counter Corruption gets involved.

I thoroughly enjoyed Our Little Secrets which is a compulsive read, full of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view so the reader gets a well rounded view of both events and the various characters’ motivations. I’m not always a big fan of this approach as it often makes for a choppy read but in this case there is so much going on, mostly double crossing, that it works well and had me engrossed. Mr Ritchie is to be commended for his plotting which is detailed, intricate, unexpected and, at times, shocking.

As the novel is mostly set in the criminal underworld it will not come as a surprise that it is sometimes violent and cruel. This is not a novel for the faint hearted, not so much in graphic depictions of violence but in the casual cruelty towards others. It should also be noted that the language can be choice at times, not just the swearing but the Scottish slang. For non Scots there is a helpful glossary at the end and I suspect many readers will need it. To counter this the novel is funny in parts and had me laughing out loud.

Although the novel is billed as a Grace Macallan novel she only really puts in an appearance in the last quarter of the novel. I was disappointed in this as I love Grace and her hard as nails attitude. I was so hyped waiting for her appearance that I didn’t take the time to fully savour the first few chapters and that is my loss as they set the scene well, are extremely funny and introduce some unpleasant characters. I think it would be fair to describe Janet Hadden as a psychopath and Mr Ritchie takes the time to lay her out in her full glory. It’s great stuff. The object of her professional desire is up and coming gangster, Dominic Grainger. His depths are hidden but he’s no less self absorbed. Everyone else is a pawn in their game.

Our Little Secrets is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending. 4.5*.

What a intense and crazy read! I loved this fast paced, dark and twisty book. I have never had the the chance to read a book by this author and I am glad I came across the book . A complex police procedural, with well developed characters and a fast paced storyline. I will be looking forward to reading more books by Peter Ritchie.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley
#ourlittlesecrets

We have John Rebus, Logan McCray and now welcome to Grace Macallan to join the band of Scottish detectives. An excellent story, complex plot, change of location to Edinburgh. Looking forward to more from this author.

I really enjoyed the plot. Was very hard to put down.
I give this book 5**** just because i loved it
Cant wait for other books

A well written, engrossing and entertaining thriller that kept me on the edge and couldn't put down.
I loved the plot, full of twists and turns, the well written cast of characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Such a good book.

DI Janet Hadden wants promotion and blood, she finds this by getting involved with criminal headman of a gang. Dominic Grainger. He has used all of his and his brother's future monies through heavy gambling unbeknown to them, now he is struggling to get it back. The only way to do this is to hook up with the DI.

Dominic is married to big boss Arthur Hamiltons daughter, who he doesn't like or trust one bit so he sets Private Investigator Frankie Mason onto him to follow his every move and report back his findings.

This book was what you would expect and more from a crime book. The pages were on fire and the story gripping. It had suspense, drama, and mystery throughout it. Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. x

Our Little Secrets by author Peter Ritchie is an intense, fast paced thriller! Wasn’t my usual genre type but overall it was great and developed well!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.