After the agonising cliff-hanger at the end of her previous book, Jane Casey has really delivered the goods. The Queen of Crimance (Crime/Romance) has provided a startling way forward for her two main characters, Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. Devoted fans have followed the two on a rollercoaster ride, with the obstacles keeping them apart just this side of believable. Even the sadly misguided Josh-haters cannot deny his almost fanatical devotion to Maeve and his desire to do the right thing, usually to his own detriment. Over the course of time, Maeve has come to appreciate his many virtues while still acknowledging his faults.

The Secret Room is an intriguing ‘locked room’ mystery that takes the whole of the book for Maeve to solve. The solution is surprising and very neatly presented with a number of suspects being gradually eliminated. Maeve has to work extremely hard as she is also intent on helping Josh with a potentially life-destroying problem. It goes without saying that he makes every effort to stop her from doing so. For her final trick, Maeve uncovers an act of unforgivable manipulation. She does not expected gratitude but is deeply upset by Josh’s reaction. The future does not look promising but Jane deftly brings about an unexpected conclusion that has the inimitable Josh Derwent written all over it.
Jane Casey has a remarkable knack for characterisation and with Maeve and Josh she has created two people who are multi-faceted and endearing. I know this is not a word that sits naturally alongside Josh’s name. The outcome is that readers are desperate to know more about them. Jane can convey more in a few short sentences, a phrase even, than many authors can do in a whole page. I am relieved to hear that this book is not the end of their story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to write this review.

Oh my goodness! How do I review this book without giving away anything??

First to say I was so happy to be back with Maeve and Josh. The storyline is great, it was a real mystery that took a lot of unpicking. The subplot of Meave and Josh was a rollercoaster! You’ll have to read it to find out just how much!

I loved this book all around…when is the next one?!

This locked room mystery has all the usual storytelling you'd expect from this author

It has drama and suspense and is a really good read. I was hooked from the start and the story unfolded unexpectedly. I could not guess what happens next so for me this was extra special..

A classic ‘locked room’ mystery here, with a really excellent and compelling plot. This book is also a romance and the two stories do not always sit absolutely comfortably together. Maeve Kerrigan is back solving heinous crimes with her partner Josh Derwent but if you’re looking for a police procedural the romance between them does get in the way a bit. Having said that, the murder story itself is a really cracking mystery with a completely unexpected denouement- a reader couldn’t ask for more. Josh comes across as a rather tricky character and Maeve really a bit pathetic in her inability to deal with Josh’s difficult personality but as far as solving the crime goes they do the job with great skill, imagination and compassion.

It’s no secret that I love a well written expertly plotted police procedural and this is no exception. Witty banter between the MC Maeve and her colleagues plus the dynamic between Maeve and Josh is just the icing on top.

I have read Book 1 in the series and this is Book 12 and while I may have missed out on the development of these characters up to this point, I think this works as a standalone too because it was clearly defined from the start who all of the characters were. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hard to put down.

There is lots to delve into with this one but I don’t want to spoil it, especially for anyone who has faithfully read the full series to date. Suffice to say, I’d highly recommend it.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

Another fantastic Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent novel. Great writing that hooks you in all the way from beginning to the end. Immersive characters with fulfilling back stories. Plenty of suspense to keep me enthralled. All you could possibly want from a mystery. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

wahoo one of the best series is back. and with a stunning read. i read these books now for the personal lives of the detective team and the thriller plot itself. these books are fantastic. Jane must know these characters so well by now they are like family, or real people. i certainly feel that personally attached to them. and each book i fear she will upend them(and therefore me) and make there be a death, or a romance, or a change that makes me feel too het up. but thankfully we havent arrived there. and i dont know how Jane bares so much pressure on her shoulders now. because the fans of these detectives are loyaaaaaal. and we need them all to be ok.
another great plot. another great telling of said plot. we are well into this series now and so i also had another bit of angst in this book.... will they have to end soon? do you see how loved these books are, haha.
this book follows the death of woman in a luxury hotel. she went in with no one and no one was seen leaving her room either. she was found in a scalding bath with the door locked. so just what went on here?
i felt my tension gripping my chest slowly does it throughout this book, and was at that perfect juddery heart moment at all the right places. and then you gather yourself,learn more, think more and so it goes on. its the perfect staging to every chapter and reveal throughout.
i have a book crush on Maeve Kerrigan she is such a fabulous character and ive come to care for her way more than i should about a person in a fiction book! and in this book she is going through a bit more emotional angst so we get to see even more of the sides we love and sides we feel attached to. because in this book "our" Josh is also going through things and that adds even more weight to the book and the tension. and even more emotional toil for Maeve. these two have my whole heart. i was not only tripping to see the reveal of the crime. but also to read more of these two.
this book is the best in the series so far. but then i always say that with every new one she brings out. and then ifeel disloyal to the others. so lets just say this is another fave. read it. love it. and get ready for another emotional one.

Really enjoyed this, the latest in the DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent series by Jane Casey. This is number 10 and I've now read the last three and they just get better. I will start at beginning as really want to read the earlier books in thus series plus any others by this author as they are so exciting.

A really good police thriller with so many twists and turns along the way and great character development. Cant wait for the next instalment.

Would make a really good tv series.

No spoilers here!
I cannot believe that I have missed a book by Jane Casey!
A Stranger in the Family is the previous book in the series and somehow I missed it, and the cliffhangers, or so I have been told.
However, I shall read it next and although I will miss out on the cliffhangers I am sure it will be a good read.
I found that this book was more about the relationship between Maeve and Josh than the murder that they were investigating. In fact at times it felt more like a romance book than a murder mystery.. I loved the tension between the two characters and the development of the story.

Great gripping book.
I hadn’t realised it was part of a series so very keen on reading the rest of the series. But still enjoyed the book and felt it made you wanting to read more.

The Secret Room is book 12 in the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey.
In short, a young woman checks into a luxury London hotel and within the hour her lover discovers her dead in the bath…all signs point to murder but no one went in with her & no one came out! It’s a strange & tricky case for DS Kerrigan but she also has other more personal concerns to solve.
Love this addictive crime series and the Secret Room is another belter…I simply raced through it. Totally gripping with tension that ramps up all the way to the end…and the ending is very fitting.
Big thanks to Jane Casey, HarperCollins UK & NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I've waited for this one for a while after that delicious cliff hanger in the last book.
The Secret Room centers round two separate events - an impossible murder in a locked room and a personal event which pulls Maeve in various directions and makes the book feel like a book of two parts rather than a main plot with interwoven linked subplots

Enjoyable and entertaining

I have followed the Maeve Kerrigan series since its early days, and so approached The Secret Room—the twelfth book—with both excitement and trepidation. Could Jane Casey really sustain the quality this far in? The answer, thankfully, is a resounding yes. In fact, this has to be my favourite in the series.

From the outset, the premise hooked me: a woman found dead in a luxury hotel bath, the water scalding hot, the door locked from the inside, no one seen entering or leaving. It’s a locked-room mystery that evokes the classic golden-age puzzle, but with Casey’s trademark modern, psychological edge. As a crime fiction lover, I’m always looking for that elusive blend of intricate plotting and real emotional depth—and this book delivers both.

What struck me most was the writing. Casey’s style is clean, sharp, and deceptively simple. She doesn’t show off, but her control of tone and pace is so skilful. The chapters move briskly, but never feel rushed. The atmosphere is oppressive in all the right ways—tense, eerie, and full of dread. There were several moments where I had to stop and appreciate just how cleverly the tension had been ratcheted up without me even noticing.

But as always with this series, it’s the characters that truly shine. Maeve Kerrigan continues to be one of the most relatable and intelligent protagonists in the genre. She’s fiercely capable, but she’s not a superhero—she questions herself, she pushes boundaries, and she cares deeply, often to her own detriment. In The Secret Room, I felt her emotional weight more keenly than ever.

And then there’s Josh Derwent. Oh, Josh! The relationship between Maeve and her often infuriating, always compelling boss, D.I. Josh Derwent, continues to be one of the best character dynamics in crime fiction. Their banter is as sharp as ever, but here, it’s underscored by a new level of vulnerability. Derwent faces something deeply personal in this book, and watching Maeve navigate both their professional challenges and his personal turmoil gave the story incredible emotional depth. I found myself genuinely moved, even as I tore through pages to get to the resolution.

The final reveal surprised me—clever, layered, and grimly satisfying. But more than that, The Secret Room left me reflecting on the cost of truth, and the toll that justice can take, not just on victims and perpetrators, but on those tasked with uncovering it.

This is Jane Casey at her finest—taut, thoughtful, and utterly addictive. If you’re already a fan of the series, this book is seriously unmissable. And if you’re new? Go to the beginning. You’re in for a treat.

This is book 12 in the Maeve Kerrigan series of novels by Jane Casey and the first that I have read. So, do you need to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one? Thankfully not. I really enjoyed this. The main plot is really the relationship between all of the characters and it doesn't take long to get emotionally invested. Now I have another series of books I need to read!

Maeve is called to a posh hotel in London to investigate the death of the well to do Ilaria Cavendish, found in a bath full of hot water. She was having a weekly liaison with Sam, who found the body. After reviewing the CCTV it is clearly impossible for Ilaria to have had time to run a hot bath, receive a bottle of champagne from the waiter, be murdered and left in the bath long enough for her skin to start comping away from her body, all in the few minutes between the waiter leaving and Sam arriving.

This becomes a sub-plot when DI Josh Derwent is arrested and Maeve gets entangled in Josh's private life.

I really enjoyed this novel. It would definitely be worth reading the previous novels as that would heighten your enjoyment but I don't think you need to know everyones backstory as past relationships are explained beautifully as the story progresses.

I've always loved Karin Slaughters Grant County series and I found Maeve and Josh reminded me in many ways of Dr Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver. The plot isn't as gory as Karin's but the characters feel just as real, which is one of the highest compliments I can give.

Jane Casey knows how to pace a story, how to draw you in and get you emotionally invested. Ultimately the actual murder mystery reaches a satisfying conclusion but by then, it feels like a side story to the main narrative.

A surprising and thoroughly enjoyable book. I'll definitely be picking up "The Burning" which is the first book in the Maeve Kerrigan series and working my way through them all.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, Hemlock Press Publishers for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Room is due to be released on 24th April 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

Reading The Secret Room by Jane Casey was an electrifying experience from beginning to end, the ending is absolutely brilliant! This thriller delves deep into the world of Detective Maeve Kerrigan as she investigates a chilling series of murders tied to a covert and sinister underworld.

The story revolves around Kerrigan and her team’s discovery of a hidden room filled with disturbing secrets—clues that unravel a dangerous web of lies and betrayal. As Maeve follows the trail, the tension escalates, and her determination leads her to confront not only the criminals but also her own vulnerabilities. Casey’s writing masterfully blends sharp dialogue, intricate plotting, and psychological depth, pulling me further into the complexities of the case and Maeve's own challenges.

What truly stood out to me was the ending—it was clever, unexpected, and packed with emotional resonance. It tied together the threads of the story so satisfyingly that I found myself replaying the final scenes in my head long after finishing the book. Jane Casey has a knack for creating suspenseful, character-driven narratives, and The Secret Room is no exception.

The blend of intricate mystery, strong character development, and that unforgettable conclusion makes it a must-read for fans of the DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent crime fiction.

Yet another great instalment in this fascinating series. As always the plot and characters are excellent, but particularly intriguing here is the relationship between Maeve and her boss Josh Derwent. This has developed interestingly over recent novels but becomes even more gripping in The Secret Room. Superb!

Jane Casey has delivered a perfect follow-up to book 11 in the series with this brilliant offering in book 12.
The end of book 11 left us on tender hooks and it continues well in to this storyline, you would think that after 11 books the series would have lost some of its shine but it's just getting better and better.
The storyline is so good, and there are small sub storylines running as well.
Plenty to offer the reader murder,mystery and a will they won't they romance,the police procedures are spot on and the ending is perfection.
Can be read as a standalone, but to fully get to know the wonderful characters, I recommend you read the full series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the Arc.

I thought this had a slow start but soon ramped up the pace - that said I did feel as though the title gave the game away a little.
The Secret Room works as a standalone read, that said it's made me want to go back and read the Maeve Kerrigan series, she is a brilliant character and I think I'd be more invested in her relationship with Josh had I read her back catalogue.
4 stars.

This is book #12 in the Maeve Kerrigan series. I have read a few of the earlier books in the series, but none recently. Whilst you can read it as a standalone (as I have!), I do think you need to read the other books in the series first as I did get a bit confused with the characters backstories.

In this book we find DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI John Derwent investigating the murder of wealthy Ilaria Cavendish in a luxury hotel room. We also have a side storyline involving Derwent, and this is where I was getting a bit confused not having read the previous books. I liked the murder storyline and enjoyed the investigation, but the side story with DI Derwent was difficult to understand as I didn't know the relationships between the different characters. The investigation into Ilaria's murder was interesting and I liked trying to work it out with the characters as it went along. Not having read the previous books, I would have preferred it just to be the murder storyline as it felt really disjointed and complicated having the two stories running alongside each other.

It was though a good read for both stories. I was interested enough to see what happened with Derwent's storyline, and obviously really liked trying to guess who had killed Ilaria and why! The storylines were cleverly written but I would have liked more crime throughout! I think I really need to go back and read the previous books before the next book in the series is released!

Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for a review copy of this book. Great pacing, intricate plotting and richly drawn characters are all hallmarks of Jane Casey’s writing. I am a huge fan of Jane Casey’s crime novels and have read them all, even the YA which I have used in my teen book clubs in the past so I was really thrilled then to be able to read an advanced review copy of this latest novel. It held up to all my expectations and given her consistently good writing there was no surprise there. It had great doses of Maeve and Josh and all the tension you could hope for in both the crimes involved and their relationship as colleagues and more.

Maeve’s determination, keen eye and terrier like qualities are called upon enormously in this novel as a murder investigation into the death of a beautiful rich woman in a hotel room becomes a puzzle of both timing and impossibility, an almost Agatha Christie locked door conundrum. And like Christie there are quirky twists and many dead ends both in the literal and figurative sense. But despite Maeve’s past record at crime solving and her innate abilities that make her so respected in the force she’s distracted by her struggles to keep Josh at a distance, even though his cold formal demeanour has meant it’s been three months since she’s worked with him. This case forces them together, however and creates a brief moment of Josh’s mask slipping to reveal the misery and yearning that still torment him. The confusion and turmoil Maeve feels worsens when while investigating the hotel crime she receives a call from her father and hears that Josh has been arrested for the unthinkable crime of assaulting his partner, the boy Thomas’s mother. And worse, he specifically asks that Maeve stay away. But Maeve can’t help herself and putting her career at risk she takes on investigating the events on her own terms, knowing deep down that the charge is impossible while others, counsel or warn her to move on, speak of Josh’s temper and doubt her certainty of his innocence.

Absorbing and perfectly paced, I finished the book in two days and enjoyed it all. Fans and newcomers will love the seamless transition from each event and scene with incidents that draw you on to the end. A definite “one more chapter before I put the light out” book that can easily become the whole night.