The last secret : a novel

From Publishers Weekly Keeping secrets leads to calamitous consequences in Morris's disturbing domestic thriller. At age 17, Nora Trimble has a dangerous eight-day summer escapade with psycho boyfriend Eddie Hawkins that ends in a violent incident in a bar. Twenty-six years later, Nora is the happy wife of wealthy Kendall Ken Hammond, co-owner of a smalltown Massachusetts newspaper, and the devoted mother of two teens. Her world's turned upside down by Eddie's shocking reappearance and Ken's revelation that he's been having an adulterous relationship for four years with his childhood sweetheart Robin Gendron, his best friend's wife. Nora must contend with not only marital woes but the blackmailing serial killer Eddie, who refuses to leave town because of his new obsession—Robin. Morris (_The Lost Mother_) knocks over a domino chain of events that, while not too surprising, confirm the importance of comprehending past mistakes to avoid future ones. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From One assumes that a woman who marries into a family of privilege has the world on a string. Nora Hammond felt that way about her own life. Married with two teenage children, a prominent job at her husband’s family newspaper, socializing with the wealthy and powerful, Nora was living her picture-perfect life—until her husband, Ken, reveals he has been having a “relationship” with one of Nora’s best friends for years. What follows is a wrenching portrait of a family falling apart under the weight and ramifications of the affair and their futile struggle to stay together. As if this wasn’t emotionally compelling enough, Morris, unfortunately, adds a subplot—a man from Nora’s past comes back to haunt her. It is unnecessary, distracting, and at times ruins the psychological arc Morris works to build. In the end, Morris ties the stories together, but it feels forced and unsatisfying. Those who follow this highly regarded author will want to read The Last Secret; those new to Morris should start with an earlier title. --Carolyn Kubisz Fiction,General,Psychological fiction,Family Life,Psychological,Suspense,Adultery,Secrecy,Domestic fiction "There are few contemporary authors whose work can absorb readers so fully and with such immediacy that the line between character and reader begins to seem dangerously thin. Among these few is the brilliant Mary McGarry Morris." --Los Angeles TimesMary McGarry Morris has been hailed as "one of the most skillful writers at work in America today" (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times). In The Last Secret, she tells the riveting story of Nora Hammond, a woman blessed with the perfect life: a charming husband, two bright teenage children, a successful career in the family's newspaper business, and an esteemed role in the charity work of her New England town. But Nora's comfortable existence threatens to unravel when she learns of her husband's longtime affair--and when the specter of a sordid incident from her youth returns with terrifying force. Confronted by shame and betrayal, Nora suddenly feels dangerously alone. With no one to turn to, she becomes easy prey to a ghost from her past--the cunning, relentless Eddie Hawkins.A tautly told tale of psychological tension and chilling moral complexity, The Last Secret accelerates to a shattering conclusion as it explores the irreparable consequences of one family's crimes of the heart. The Last Secret burnishes Mary McGarry Morris's reputation as one of our most pro­digously gifted writers.From the Hardcover edition. In The Last Secret , she tells the riveting story of Nora Hammond, a woman blessed with the perfect life: a charming husband, two bright teenage children, a successful career in the familys newspaper business, and an esteemed role in the charity work of her New England town. But Noras comfortable existence threatens to unravel when she learns of her husbands longtime affairand when the specter of a sordid incident from her youth returns with terrifying force. Confronted by shame and betrayal, Nora suddenly feels dangerously alone. With no one to turn to, she becomes easy prey to a ghost from her pastthe cunning, relentless Eddie Hawkins. A tautly told tale of psychological tension and chilling moral complexity, The Last Secret accelerates to a shattering conclusion as it explores the irreparable consequences of one familys crimes of the heart. The Last Secret burnishes Mary McGarry Morriss reputation as one of our most prodigously gifted writers.