Book Review: LITTLE SECRETS by Jennifer Hillier — Crime by the Book
Abigail Endler
I’m not much of a crier—especially not when I’m reading crime fiction—so imagine my surprise when, as I turned the last few pages of Jennifer Hillier’s newest release, I found myself (no exaggeration!) wiping tears off my cheeks. That’s the beauty of this book. LITTLE SECRETS, Hillier’s outstanding
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Crime by the Book
LITTLE SECRETS by Jennifer Hillier

Minotaur Books; 4/21/20

CBTB Rating: 4.5/5

The Verdict: a heartfelt, page-turning suspense novel

I’m not much of a crier—especially not when I’m reading crime fiction—so imagine my surprise when, as I turned the last few pages of Jennifer Hillier’s newest release, I found myself (no exaggeration!) wiping tears off my cheeks. That’s the beauty of this book. LITTLE SECRETS, Hillier’s outstanding new suspense novel, isn’t just a suspense novel—it’s also a heartfelt story that delves deep into the lives of its characters, thoughtfully crafting these fictional women and men so they begin to feel more real than not. LITTLE SECRETS is a story that begins with any parent’s worst nightmare: the disappearance of a child, kidnapped from under his mother’s nose on a busy day at a market. What follows is a twisty, heartbreaking story of grief, loss, and the ties that bind a family together—and the secrets that might tear them apart. Following a grieving mother on a desperate mission for revenge, LITTLE SECRETS delivers a fresh take on the domestic thriller, one that will captivate readers of Sandie Jones, B.A. Paris, and Paula Hawkins. Readers looking for an outstanding work of psychological suspense with a knockout ending will find LITTLE SECRETS right up their alley. This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier, and it absolutely won’t be my last.

Plot Details:

All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret...

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family―until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

Permanently.

My favorite suspense novels are those with a kernel of truth at their core—stories that, no matter how many over-the-top twists and turns their plots might take, are grounded in something that feels real. LITTLE SECRETS is exactly this kind of suspense story. This is a “popcorn read” through and through: a book that is lighter on the violence, but jam-packed with entertainment value and binge-worthy plotting (and a jaw-dropping plot twist or two!). I devoured LITTLE SECRETS over a particularly busy week earlier this spring, and found it to be the perfect companion during a time when I needed my read to be an escape from stress. But what really captivated me then, and what has stuck with me in the months since, is the depth of authenticity and heartfelt emotion at the core of this book. LITTLE SECRETS has a thrilling plot and plenty of jaw-dropping reveals—but the emotional truths at the heart of this story stood out to me most of all. LITTLE SECRETS is a story about grief: how we respond when our lives are shattered, and the desperate measures we turn to when we cannot accept the new reality in which we have found ourselves. This is a psychological suspense story with a big, beating heart at its core.

LITTLE SECRETS centers around a married couple with a picture-perfect life: Marin and Derek. Marin and Derek have it all. They have successful businesses, a beautiful home, and an adorable young son whom they adore, Sebastian. But one day, on a particularly busy afternoon at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, Marin is distracted for a mere moment by a text message from her husband… and Sebastian disappears from her side. The unthinkable has happened: Sebastian has been kidnapped. A desperate search ensues, but no luck. Sebastian is gone. Fast forward one year, and the trail has gone cold. But Marin refuses to give up on her son, and hires a private investigator to keep the investigation alive… and one day, the investigator finds something unexpected. She discovers that Marin’s husband is having an affair. The rage that follows this discovery gives Marin a new reason to live. She will devote herself to uncovering the extent of her husband’s betrayal, and seeking revenge.

For any reader who may be experiencing a touch of fatigue when it comes to domestic suspense, consider LITTLE SECRETS your perfect palate cleanser. Hillier delivers a fresh take on the much-loved domestic thriller in her newest release. The premise here might sound familiar—picture-perfect family, unfaithful husband—but LITTLE SECRETS is so much more than its plot summary might suggest. LITTLE SECRETS begins as a straightforward tale of a woman uncovering her husband’s betrayal in the midst of an already-unthinkable crisis. In the wake of her son’s disappearance, Marin is barely hanging on. Her waking hours are plagued by thoughts of suicide, and her best friend checks in on her daily to make sure she is still alive. Marin’s grief is palpable; readers will sympathize with her from the story’s outset. And in the midst of this unthinkable pain, Marin’s life is about to get worse. The realization that her husband, Derek, is carrying on an affair with a much younger woman is devastating to Marin… and it also wakes her up to the situation in which she finds herself. Marin’s grief morphs and twists into rage, and Marin finds that a fire has been lit under her for the first time since her son’s disappearance. Marin can’t solve the problem of her missing son, but she can solve the problem of her unfaithful husband and his mistress, Kenzie. Marin is pushed to the breaking point, and makes a truly shocking decision in her quest for revenge—one that you’ll just have to read about for yourself!

Observing the transition of Marin’s grief into rage is a riveting journey for the reader, but it’s what Jennifer Hillier does after readers learn about Derek’s betrayal that makes LITTLE SECRETS truly stand out from the crowd. Because this isn’t just Marin’s story—it’s Kenzie’s story, too, and readers will observe a significant shift in this book’s tone and pacing when Kenzie comes on the scene. At first glance, Kenzie is a stereotypical “other woman”: young, beautiful, alluring, and seemingly without any baggage. But the deeper readers dig into Kenzie’s story, the more they begin to realize that not everything here is as it seems. The same holds true for LITTLE SECRETS itself. What initially seems to be a tale of a jilted wife seeking revenge expands and morphs into a true thriller as readers—and Marin—learn more about Kenzie and her complex past. Shifting between Marin and Kenzie’s perspectives, LITTLE SECRETS explores the backstory of both women, humanizing Kenzie for the reader and delving into Kenzie’s inner life as much as it delves into Marin’s. Kenzie isn’t just “the other woman” here, and I loved Hillier’s decision to allow the reader to really get to know Kenzie the person, not just Kenzie the mistress. Giving weight to Kenzie’s character broadens LITTLE SECRETS, expanding the scope of this story from a straightforward tale of domestic drama and revenge to a richly-plotted thriller uncovering secrets from the past, and exploring the sinister ways they impact the present.

LITTLE SECRETS is one of those books where readers are almost better off going into it with as little information as possible: this is a story packed with entertainment value, and it is also a story with a couple of genuinely surprising twists and reveals in store for the reader. The less you know in advance, the better. All you really need to know is that Jennifer Hillier has, in LITTLE SECRETS, crafted a story with a delicious blend of thrills and heart, tension and emotion. LITTLE SECRETS is a gripping, heartbreaking psychological suspense novel, one that will keep you up reading way past your bedtime. Highly recommended for fans of psychological and domestic suspense.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions my own.