The Darkest Secret

If there has been a better mystery suspense story written in this decade, I can't think of it * Stephen King * A genuinely shocking thriller where nothing is what it seems. So good I wish I'd written it myself. * Val McDermid, Sunday Times Number 1 Bestseller * A taut, white-knuckle, one-sitting kind of read that will have you guessing and gasping out loud, right to the very last page. * Sarra Manning, Red * A chilling thriller with a deftly woven plot: this is Marwood's best yet. * Clare Mackintosh, Number 1 Kindle Bestseller * Oh my god, it is SO good. A work of genius. I'm in awe * Mark Edwards, Number 1 Kindle Bestseller * Alex Marwood's The Darkest Secret is a feast of a novel, a modern Greek tragedy with believable characters, a heart stopping plot and a brilliant triple jump of an ending that left me clutching the book. I haven't read anything so satisfying in a long time. I loved The Wicked Girls, but this is even better. * Jenny Eclair * With the psychological acuity of Kate Atkinson and a dark wit all her own, Alex Marwood draws us into The Darkest Secret with utter narrative cunning, then surprises with its emotional wallop, its deeper resonances. In so doing, she demonstrates, without a doubt, that she is one of crime fiction's brightest stars. Not to be missed. * Megan Abbott * Simply tremendous, so tense and packed with pathos. I loved every page of it. * Sarah Hilary * I made the mistake of thinking I could read a couple of pages and then spend the weekend writing. Well, that was not the case. A few pages was not enough, in fact, nothing was enough until I had finished it. I think it is taut storytelling at its best and by the end I was breathless. I actually didn't realise I was holding my breath until I turned that very last page. * Angela Marsons, Number 1 Kindle Bestseller * A taut, claustrophobic look into toxic relationships and family secrets. I couldn't put it down as more and more layers were revealed, with suspense and intrigue creating a tense and satisfying read. * Mel Sherratt * Those of us who admire Alex Marwood's writing know her for devious plotting, skillful manipulation of suspense, and an ability to add the bleakly comic to what others would leave merely bleak. In The Darkest Secret she gives us even more, with some genuinely beautiful writing about grief and loss, adding a real poignancy to the twists of the story, creatinga crime novel that is also heartbreakingly human. * Stella Duffy * I cancel all engagements and turn off my phone for a new Alex Marwood book. The Darkest Secret is her best yet. * Erin Kelly * In The Darkest Secret Alex Marwood has created a masterful thriller and a cast of the most deliciously vile and compelling characters I have encountered. It's a novel that stands out from the crowd. * Colette McBeth * The Darkest Secret is spine tingling and terrifying, a beautifully written tale of obsessive love. * Lisa Jewell * The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood is such a good book! It's involving and intelligent; a mystery revealed from multiple viewpoints. I'm sure it will be a huge hit. * Helen Smith * I read the book in one weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's ghoulishly page-turning and I loved Alex's ability to create characters that are addictively vile. As a reader you feel afterwards like washing your hands as though they're blood-stained! * Cath Weeks * The Darkest Secret left me reeling. This book is an absolute TRIUMPH! * Rebecca Griffiths * Alex Marwood goes from strength to strength. The Darkest Secret is domestic noir at its finest. Even more twisty than Gone Girl, this novel is dynamite, exploding the heart of family secrets with shocking results. * Ruth Dugdall * At turns suspenseful, chilling and deeply, unexpectedly moving, The Darkest Secret is a true tour de force. Alex Marwood's richly detailed, heartbreakingly human characters will stay with you long after the book'

Alex Marwood is the pseudonym of a journalist who has worked extensively across the British press. She is the author of the word-of-mouth sensation The Wicked Girls, which won a prestigious Edgar Award, The Killer Next Door, which won the coveted Macavity Award, The Darkest Secret and The Poison Garden. She has also been shortlisted for numerous other crime writing awards and her novels have been optioned for the screen. Alex lives in south London.