Dirty Secrets by Janice Frost

DIRTY SECRETS

Janice Frost

This is the fifth book in the Detective series featuring Jim Neal and Ava Merry but the first one I have read and I have to say, it worked perfectly fine as a stand alone. I was able to follow the storyline clearly and pick up on the key things about the relationship between this partnership, so I wouldn't worry if you are also new to Janice Frost, there is no reason not to just dive in! 

The front cover of Dirty Secrets promises a gripping crime mystery and I think that I have to agree! 

Imagine Val Marsh's horror when she comes home to find that her husband Russell has been shot through the head while sat at his office desk. His business has been struggling and it soon becomes clear that he had plenty of enemies - even amongst his own family and friends, but did they hate him enough to want him dead?

As with any good police procedural, the case becomes more complicated when another body is discovered. And then a drug dealer is shot dead in London which adds yet another layer to the storyline and further challenges for Neal and Merry as they try to work out the connections between the murders. As the investigation continues, more secrets are exposed and the relationships between the family members and characters are put under more pressure creating a well paced, fast moving storyline full of twists and turns. 

This crime thriller has everything you could wish for in a police procedural. There are plenty of surprises and enough shocks and revelations to keep you guessing as to who is the murderer and how all the threads in the story will come together. Frost understands how to pace her plot, how to structure her reveals and how to balance the various sub plots so that the pages are full of tension, drama and action. Her characters are vivid and come to life on the page, pulling the reader along in a story which is full of crisis, danger and most importantly, dark, dirty secrets. 

Dirty Secrets is an enjoyable crime thriller that is entertaining, well executed and full of characters that have their own backstory and plenty of flaws and failings. The relationship between the detectives is convincing and they also have their own personal challenges which makes them more three dimensional and realistic.

If you like Rachel Abbot, Leigh Russell and Angela Marsons then I think you will enjoy Janice Frost. It's always a treat to discover a new author with a back list so if you are looking for a new police series to follow, this could just be the one for you! 

Dirty Secrets is published by Joffe and my thanks go to the publisher for an advance copy of the novel and an invitation to join the blog tour. I hope you'll look up the previous reviews for Dirty Secrets which featured on the tour! 

DS MERRY & DI NEAL SERIES

Book 1: DEAD SECRET

Book 2: DARK SECRET

Book 3: HER HUSBAND’S SECRET

Book 4: THEIR FATAL SECRETS

Book 5: DIRTY SECRETS 

JANICE FROST

Janice was born and grew up in West Lothian, Scotland. After completing an English degree at St Andrew's University, she moved to London where she lived for ten years doing an assortment of jobs. Her passions are reading, writing and walking in Scotland and the Lake District. She lives in Lincolnshire with her husband and two sons.