Jo Spain’s previous thriller The Confession involved a man walking into a house and beating another man to death with a golf club in front of his wife. The death in Dirty Little Secrets is rather less spectacular; the deceased is found a full three months after she died, and it’s unclear whether foul play is involved. Her neighbours, residents of the unfortunately named gated community Withered Vale, are horrified this could happen in their exclusive enclave. But some of them are also profoundly relieved. And others quite gleeful. It turns out they all have secrets and the deceased, Olive Collins, knew most of them. She was a nasty piece of work who would tempt many to consider murder, but did one of them actually do it?
Spain’s writing is a cut above that of most thriller writers. Her characters are always well drawn; she details their back stories and relationships with a depth reminiscent of Liane Moriarty. Each character is grappling with their own dirty little secret; their interactions with their neighbours are riddled with miscommunications and failed attempts to bond. Withered Vale is an elegantly dysfunctional neighbourhood for sure, but does it harbour a murderer?
You’ve got to appreciate a thriller that keeps you guessing right until the end. This one suffers slightly from having too many characters and therefore not quite the clarity and depth of The Confession, but still it’s an engaging, intelligent read.
