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When Cecilia Fitzpatrick finds a letter from her husband, hidden in their attic and designated as only to be read if he dies, Cecilia is more than a little bit intrigued. What could her loving husband, John-Paul, want to tell her that he can’t when he is alive? When she does decide to disregard John-Paul’s request and open his letter, she unburies a secret that involves two other women in her community.

Rachel Crowley has been living with every parent’s worst nightmare for years. Her daughter, Janie, was brutally murdered when she was in high school and her murder remains unsolved although Rachel is convinced that the school’s PE teacher, Connor Whitby, is responsible and she’s determined to make sure he is brought to justice.

Tess O’Leary isn’t even supposed to be in the picture but when her husband and cousin reveal they are having an affair, Tess packs up her son, Liam, and goes home to her mother to lick her wounds and decide what she’ll do next. But when she runs into her old boyfriend, Connor, her situation becomes even more complicated.

All three women are on a collision course that will lead to exposed secrets and dire consequences for everyone involved.

I picked up a copy of this book on a whim when I found it at a thrift store and for what I paid for it, I’m overall happy with it. If I had paid full price, perhaps not as much. The husband’s secret is revealed fairly early on, perhaps around 25% into the book. Therefore, this story isn’t so much a mystery or thriller but rather a story that builds on tension. We spend most of the book waiting to see what Cecilia will do with her husband’s shocking revelation and how Rachel and Tess become intertwined with it. This tension is something Ms. Moriarty does really well and it did have me turning page after page.

When the tension is finally broken we get a good but somewhat flat ending. The consequence for John-Paul’s secret is terrible but it didn’t have me shocked. It was just fine (and I hate using that word if you have read the book and knows what happen but hopefully you know what I’m getting at). I did like the epilogue, revealing how secrets often have us go down paths in our lives we weren’t supposed to.

The character development is good but while on the topic of characters I am forced to ask, what is the point of Tess’ character? Cecilia and Rachel become linked and it makes sense why, but I was left wondering if the story would have had the same outcome if Tess hadn’t been involved and while a good argument could be made for why Tess was needed I just don’t see the real value Tess adds to the story. Yes she becomes involved with the person Rachel believes killed her daughter but she has no real impact on the outcome of that plot line.

This book is overall solid and a good beach read but I don’t think it will be one I return to in the future. The secrets have already been revealed.

3 out of 5 stars