The Secret Keeper (2012) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“Have enjoyed every book by this author.”

• Rated 2 stars

“Kate Morton appears to only have one basic plot - I've read three of her books, and I don't think I'll bother with any more unless she can inject some variety into her work.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Compelling story that crosses generations. The secret keeps you reading and wondering. Many fabulous twists and turns but, above all, wonderful characters.”

• Rated 5 stars

“EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!!!!
Incredible twist at the end! Dorothy is dead; we've been following Vivien Jenkins the entire time -- she's the incredible mother of five children who killed her first husband to save her family. Daughter Laurel saw it at age 16 but doesn't unravel the incredible WW2 story until 50 years later! WoW!”

• Rated 5 stars

“SOOOOOOOO GOOD!! love loved this book!!! SUCH great mystery! love, history, I couldn't put it down!”

• Rated 4 stars

“A good page turner. Sometimes a little difficult to keep the characters straight, but still intriguing and a great twist at the end. I'm off to find some of her earlier books which reviewers say are even better. p.s. Writers are amazing. I've done a few non-fiction things, but the idea of thinking up all this, coming up with the wonderful descriptions and just having the stamina to stick with it throughout almost 500 pages....I cannot imagine. Kudos to writers!!”

• Rated 3 stars

“A good read about secrets and families, and a girl on a quest to find out the secrets in her family. It was hard to get into at the beginning, but it really grabbed my attention and held it until the end. It was tragic in some ways the twists and turns it took to get at the truth!”

• Rated 5 stars

“Great unexpected ending, interesting story throughout!”

• Rated 3 stars

“I was slightly disappointed, I adored 'The House at Riverton', 'The Forgotten Garden' and 'The Distant Hours' - but I was disappointed with 'The Secret Keeper'. Don't get me wrong, the story was good, and I enjoyed the twist at the end, but I don't think it matches to Morton's other works. It was a slight let down in all honesty. I just hope her next novel ups its game.”

• Rated 4 stars

“
The Secret Keeper
Kate Morton

Publisher Summary: During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime. A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy — her vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother. Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothy's ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothy's past. Dorothy's story takes the reader from pre-WWII England through the blitz, to the 60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds — Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy — who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams and the unexpected consequences they sometimes bring. It is an unforgettable story of lovers and friends, deception and passion that is told — in Morton's signature style — against a backdrop of events that changed the world.

Review: I really enjoyed the characters and the story line. I was drawn in from reading the summary. I worked so many scenarios in my mind while reading and only at the end I figured out the outcome. I loved the going between the two time lines. The reality of war was played out well and the events going on while secondary were very enjoyable. I really liked the current day characters who were siblings and while Gerry was not as involved as Laurel was it was a good sub plot between the siblings. There were times like at the beginning where things were a little confusing like the original conversation between Dorothy and Vivien in Dorothy’s room. I also felt that sometimes there was so much information that was a bit overwhelming. Since this is my first, but not last book of Kate Morton’s that I will read!!
I would like to thank Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.
”