I was very kindly sent this book as an ARC from Netgalley, and really enjoyed it.
The author gets straight into the book of Sally finding out her partner of 16 years has a secret child. If I was in that situation, I’m not sure how I would feel.
One thing that kept me wanting to read more was all the little lies Tom kept telling Sally. Every time he told her that he was now telling the truth it made me want to read on to find out whether he was in fact telling the truth or telling more lies.
Halfway through there are a few twists and turns which I didn’t predict. One of the twists involving their young son Aaron explaining what he saw gave me chills – again I put myself in the position of it happening to me and my family.
I didn’t warm to Sally very much – I found her quite self-centred. In the situation Tom had to try and keep his family happy but also support another child who’s going through something hard for a 16-year-old. Sally doesn’t very often see Tom’s side of things although I got the feeling that the author had created Sally to not be a very likeable character.
My only criticism of the book is I had to reread the last chapter a couple of times to actually understand who had done it.

I was intrigued by this book from the start and was loathe to put it down.
Sally has a good and trusting marriage and happy family life until her husband starts to lose her trust. Her discoveries about the lies her family tell her, and her determination to keep them safe at all costs from the mounting danger she perceives them to be in is totally immersive and thrilling. Unable to fully trust Tom, her husband, I could empathise with her sense of foreboding and isolation as she tries to uncover the truth. A totally believable nightmare situation, with suspicion constantly changing as the secrets and lies unfold. Whilst the ending wasn't a total shock, it was a riveting read to get there and the conclusion was shocking thought provoking. A highly recommended and enjoyable read which left me wanting to read more of Jackie Walsh's novels. My thanks to Hera Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book.

The Secrets He Kept was a very compelling thriller. It was easy to finish, and I was eager to know the ending from the beginning.

Sally and Tom lead a seemingly normal life, until Sally is shown a picture of a boy and his father...who is her husband. Sally second guesses her marriage and entire family life. The discovery of a secret son unravels her mental state and family life, revealing nasty secrets that were meant to stay hidden.

The protagonists in many thrillers wait before confronting the husband/friend/lover etc. but I appreciated that Jackie Walsh has Sally confront Tom right away. It seems as though what most betrayed people would do, and makes Sally more realistic and relatable. It was not easy to figure out who was the perpetrator was, and I was suspicious of each character at some point. I would have liked a little more monologue from Kenny to explain his thoughts and give him some character depth.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological thrillers.

The Secrets He Kept is the first book I have read from Jackie Walsh and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter from start to end. The moment the first jaw-dropping bomb-shell landed in the first chapter, I was hooked.

The writing style is fabulous; best described as a vivid depiction of a wife unravelling the web of deceit caused by her husband. Some characters I loved, while others had me annoyed, but for all the right reasons because I felt I was on a journey with both Sally and Tom who lead the way in two totally different directions. Clever cliff-hangers, a sprinkling of clues in all the right places and a twist you couldn't guess even if you tried.

A gripping, hard-hitting read that leaves you desperate for more. I can't wait to read more this author in future.

I thoroughly enjoyed the building tension, I was convinced Tom was a total liar and probably guilty but ...... then it rocked up another level and Tom was not involved. So now I am looking at other people. Was the neighbour too helpful, what about her dad, there is lots to follow and even more to absorb.
My only complaint it ended to quickly and was wrapped up a little to neatly for me.

A good creepy story. I really enjoyed this. Twisted and dark. I’d highly
Recommended this to everyone

Twist and turns ahead! I was yelling out loud at the characters in this one. Totally enthralled and sucked Into there world. I gobbled this book up and recomend it.

Wow, this was one gripping read!

Right from the start the author had my full attention. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than seeing an image that could potentially destroy your whole world. I really felt for Sally and have to say she was more understanding than I would have been.

This is a story packed to the brim of lies and secrets. Some of those secrets though, woah! It was like watching your favourite soap as everything started unravelling. I couldn’t get enough. A few times I had to stop myself from shouting out as I was so shocked by what I was reading. There was one revelation in particular that had me picking my jaw up off the floor.

The Secrets He Kept will definitely get the adrenaline going. I could feel my heart racing the nearer to the end I got. Even well after I finished it, it was still pounding. A roller coaster of a read that thrills and excites.

What a brilliant fast paced book I was guessing all the way through I virulently it down and read in one sitting.

Sally, a 37 year old hairdresser and mother of three, has spent the last seventeen years madly in love with her husband Tom. It isn't until a client sits down in Sally's chair that she begins to realize that Tom may not be the perfect husband she thought he was.

This book started off as a solid two for me but the deeper I got into the never ending drama surrounding Sally's life I found myself unable to stop reading. Yes, the amount of problems that surfaced did feel a little ridiculous, but I was thoroughly entertained! I soon began feeling like this would be a four star rating for me until... the ending. I was not a fan of the ending. The style it was written in was different compared to a lot of others I've read recently, but it just wasn't as satisfying after I'd spent the entire book throwing out off the wall theories and waiting for an unbelievable plot twist.

I can honestly say while I sympathized with Sally, I didn't like her. I couldn't stand Tom. I know she was only a teenager, but I wasn't particularly fond of their daughter Amber either. Despite not liking the majority of the cast, I thought that Jackie Walsh's writing at times was extremely humorous and kept the story afloat for me. I've never read anything else by Jackie Walsh before The Secrets He Kept but I think I'll give her another try in the future.

All in all, I have to give this book 3.5 out of 5.

This book is told from Sally's POV, a hairdresser and mother of 3 who discovers that her husband, Tom, might have fathered another child. There is a murder, an abduction, and all kinds of mystery throughout the book. It's a quick, twisty read, that I finished quickly.

I liked the story, and there were things that kept me guessing throughout the whole book. I did not like Sally, however- I found her to be self centered, whiny, and entitled, and thought that she treated her husband terribly. She was quick to blame everything on Tom (granted, he made some major mistakes) but wasn't introspective into her own mistakes, nor did I feel like their marriage was a true partnership when she harbored so much resentment towards him. I spent some time trying to determine whether the author intended for us to like Sally or not, which distracted me from the story in some parts.

The story itself was interesting enough for me to get over my thoughts on Sally, though, and I definitely wanted to know what happened- I went back and forth a few times on who I thought committed the murder, which is the sign of a good mystery to me.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

‘One of those books you can read on the tube, at night or when have a spare 10 minutes, come back to and fall straight back in’

Sally is cutting a clients hair when the girl shows her a picture, she says a family picture, on the picture is a teenage boy, the girl says ‘that’s his dad’ pointing at the man standing next to him with his arm round the lad
Sally looks
And looks again
The man is Tom, her husband
And to her knowledge the only children he has are the 3 he has with her
When she come round from fainting the girl has gone...
Intrigued? So was I, it was a brilliant start to the book and the book then continued in the same exciting style with lies being uncovered, secrets coming to the fore and Sally receiving what seems like a ‘twice a day’ shock to make her life even more unpredictable than it was the day before
I liked Sally with her dark humour thoughts to the situation that was unfolding and her sometimes ‘as honest as we all would be but probably wouldn’t say’ thinking, she was no ‘storming heroine’ just Sally and she wanted normality back, probably one of the unfakest ( if thats a word ) characters read lately in a book
The story progressed really well and concluded suitably shockingly, if not a tad quickly
Good all round story, one of those you look forward to reading when you cant read in one sitting and a welcome casual, chatty style of writing
10/10
5 Stars

I read this in one sitting loved it!! Quickly paced great story!! Kept me guessing to the very end!!

A fast paced twisty domestic thriller with a sympathetic and relatable main character.

Sally works as a hairdresser to support her family after her husband got them into financial troubles.
One day a client shows her a picture and Sally's world comes crumbling.
Suddenly she realizes that her husband had a secret, and she painfully realizes that she doesn't really know the man she shared most of her life with. Sally has to fight for her family while unraveling her husband's secrets and lies.

This is an engrossing read with a likable character and a host of thrilling twists and turns, enjoy!

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally’s day begins like any other - breakfast for her husband Tom and three children, drop offs at school and day care and then on to her busy job as a hairstylist. Her normal day is upended when a client shows Sally a picture of her teenage boyfriend Kenny and his father who looks exactly like…Tom. While Sally grapples with Tom’s apparent deception and his continuing reluctance to share the complete truth, Kenny’s mother is murdered and Tom is the obvious suspect. As threats to her family’s safety mount, Sally fights to protect her children as she questions Tom’s loyalty. A frightening event leads to the shocking ending of this suspenseful, fast-paced thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hera Books and Jackie Walsh for this ARC.

What a great book. Would definitely recommend to it others I no. Great work will look out for this author again

The Secrets He Kept is a splendid thriller that will leave you guessing until the end.

Sally, a mother of three, is shocked that learn that her husband Tom may have another family. How well does she really know her husband? Does she want to uncover the truth and put her family at risk? What secrets, lies, and betrayals will she dig up?

I really enjoyed Walsh’s newest book. I think she did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. I found The Secrets He Kept to be an easy, fast paced read.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

Thank you, Net Galley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved, loved this book. It was engaging from the first page and kept me up half the night. I simply had toknow how it would end.

I recieved this one from Netgalley in exchange for a nhonest review. Unfortunately, this one just didn't click for me.

I loved the idea behind the story. When she saw her husband in the family photo with a son she had no idea about, my heart raced with hers. After that, the story fell dry for me. I found it impossible to connect with the characters and after a few chapters, I felt like continuing was a bit of a chore.

With more of a backstory, more "how", and a little work with the dialogue, this could easily be a 3-star read, maybe even a four.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this one! I'm sorry it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Wow what a great book! Jackie Walsh is a new author for me but one that I will definitely read more from!
The secrets he kept is an engaging psychological thriller that will have you gripped from start to finish so much so that you really don’t want to stop reading!
Sally and Tom are happily married with three children when there life is suddenly changed beyond all recognition! How well do you know the person you have spent 16 years living with? What secrets has he been keeping from you? Sally finds out her husband has a secret son that she knows nothing about and shortly afterwards the boys mother is murdered, this sets Tom and sally onto an emotional, fraught journey with many repurcussions, the reader is drawn into their family dynamics and the story flows seamlessly from start to finish with an unexpected ending! A great read that I will highly recommend thank you net galley for this early read!