LOOKING FORWARD FRIDAY: THE SECRET ROOM by JANE CASEY
I am going to try and do early preview reviews every second Friday of books I have been lucky enough to get copies of, which are still several weeks away from publication. I am going to focus on books which I think are very good. Hopefully this will give early notice of books you should be looking out for, and possibly adding to your To Buy and Read Pile.
In the coming weeks I want to highlight forthcoming books by Michael Connelly, Alan Parks, Mark Billingham and Australian newcomer Angie Faye Martin, among others. First off though, is the new DS Maeve Kerrigan book by Jane Casey.
I was really impressed with Jane’s standalone novel The Killing Kind from 2021, which was one of my top crime novels of that year, and I have regularly dipped into and enjoyed the books in her Maeve Kerrigan series. The forthcoming The Secret Room, (Hemlock Press, 24 April 2025), is the twelfth book in the series and maintains the good quality of the earlier entries.
The previous book, A Stranger In The Family, concluded with a cliff hanger ending, but before dealing with that Jane neatly sets up the main crime at the centre of The Secret Room. At 2.32pm on a Wednesday afternoon, wealthy, privileged Ilaria Cavendish checks into a luxury London hotel and orders a bottle of champagne. Within the hour, her lover discovers her submerged in a bath of scalding water, dead. At first glance it looks like an accident. No one went in with her. No one came out. But all the signs point to murder.
For DS Maeve Kerrigan, the case is a challenge and a welcome distraction. With no obvious suspects and no clue as to how the murder was committed, Maeve struggles with what avenues to pursue, but soon her attention is further diverted by another crime impacting her close colleague DI Josh Derwent.
The crimes at the centre of The Secret Room are well thought out and captivating, and it is good to watch Maeve skilfully work her way through both of them. There are several twists and shocks, and the outcomes for both crimes came as a surprise to me. There is also good tension generated by the second crime involving Derwent.
The characters are well drawn and the relationships between the various members of Maeve’s team are convincing. An interesting new character in the form of detective Roz Fuller adds some bite to the story and it would be good to see her again. Those who have read the earlier books in the series, will not be surprised that a lot of attention is paid to Maeve’s waxing and waning personal relationships and her feelings. This does slow the pace at times, and on a couple of occasions I found it to be a bit tiresome. I suspect, however, that others will be more interested in this aspect of the book than me.
Overall, I found The Secret Room to be a really enjoyable read. The police aspects are well handled, and the book really does build to an unexpected and satisfying ending. Highly recommended, especially for regular readers of the series.
The Secret Room is released in the United Kingdom on 24 April 2025. It is not released in Australia in physical book form until September, but the Kindle and Audible versions will be available from 24 April 2025.