I Know Your Secret

by J.M. O'Rourke

Amanda has built her whole life on a lie. It’s about to become undone.As Dr Amanda Jackson moves through her seemingly perfect life in a plush Galway suburb, she knows that a secret she’s buried deep can never be revealed. Not to her husband of over two decades, not to her friends, and especially not to her two beloved children.When she finds an ominous note pinned to the windscreen of her car, Amanda realises her worst nightmare has come someone out there knows her secret. The question is, who?And why are they contacting her now?As Amanda desperately searches for answers, her life starts to spin out of control. One inexplicable, frightening incident follows another, and Amanda’s terror escalates. When even her closest friend rejects her plea for help, she no longer knows who she can trust.What Amanda doesn’t realise is that even she hasn’t understood the terrible truth behind her long-held secret, that the trauma buried deep in her past is darker and more painful than she could possibly have imagined.I Know Your Secret – the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, and K L Slater.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2023

Reviews

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets prove to be deadly in this twisted, disturbing tale of shame retribution. Unsettling secrets, dominate the life Amanda. Amanda‘s world is suddenly turned upside down when a long-held secret from her past threatens to come to life. This is a story of cat and mouse. In this case, Amanda is the mouse and her past is the cat threatening to destroy everything she holds dear. Will Amanda’s horrific secret be revealed, or will she survive unscathed? This thriller is fast paced, gripping and entertaining. Thank you Booksprout and Inkubator Books for my copy.

[SVETLANA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the books from the Detective Jack Brody Series by J.M. O'Rourke. They are police procedural books and show the police work in Dublin, Ireland.

I Know Your Secret is supposed to be a psychological thriller. I hope it was the author's try in this type of writing. As far I consider this book to be the worst book by J.M. O'Rourke.

[Jody Reads Smut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished a superb psychological thriller set in Galway with a leading protagonist, Dr. Amanda Jackson. The storyline was well-written, and the rhythm was right, which kept me glued. The characterizations were perfect, but Edward’s behavior was intolerable, and I wished Amanda would finally understand him. The story was a cliffhanger, so I could only guess about Amanda’s family secret and what unraveled her life.

Overall, it was intriguing to read and genuinely worth the time. This would’ve been a five-star read for me had it not been for the cliffhanger.

Thank you to Zoé from ZooLoo’s Book Tours, Inkubator Books, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good psychological thriller.

I felt the suspense from the beginning, and I wanted to know more about the protagonist, Amanda, and what she had been through.

There was something I found very unsettling about that simple, repetitive statement - "I know your secret". This was a page turner, as I found that most of the chapters were short, so I had to read one chapter, then another, then another, until I'd read it all.

I think the storyline contains themes that some readers may find upsetting, such as references to rape, but it is a gripping read that will play with your mind.

Thank you to Booksprout and the author for a free copy to review.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intense thriller that starts with an ominous note and continues from there. We don’t know her secret for much of the book, and there is plenty of action. All in all, this is a good book!

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite reading a ton of psychological suspense novels, I am always so taken aback that I feel like I've been punched in the gut. This one was the cherry on top of sundaes of psychological suspense. One note that unleashes a chain of events? Read it to find out more. Chilling and thrilling with plenty if twists and turns to leave you chomping at the bit till you read the last page.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Amanda Jackson leaves the hospital she just wants to go home make a gin and tonic in half the day be over but when arriving at her lime green BMW she sees a note on the windscreen when she opens the note it brings back a time in her life she thought was over and done with. After all her husband is a successful doctor she has two beautiful children and on the surface an altogether beautiful life. Unfortunately the note is just the beginning of stocking false claims and it seems someone is out to ruin the lovely life she has. Throughout the book we get flashbacks from when Amanda was at a university in the horrible event that caused her to keep such a terrible secret and one she is betting her life that she can keep buried. Sadly enough her secret is more one of shame than anything guilty she’s done but when it’s all said and done her stalker just may get what they want. In the beginning of the book when she kept acting paranoid to go back to her car after finding the note I almost stopped reading it but OMG I’m glad I didn’t this book turned out to be a twisty piece of work and one I thoroughly enjoyed. This is why I always give a book at least an hour of my time because sometimes they turn out to be great books like this one. I want to thank Book Sprout and incubator books for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know your secret by J M O'Rourke.
Amanda has built her whole life on a lie. It’s about to become undone.As Dr Amanda Jackson moves through her seemingly perfect life in a plush Galway suburb, she knows that a secret she’s buried deep can never be revealed. Not to her husband of over two decades, not to her friends, and especially not to her two beloved children.When she finds an ominous note pinned to the windscreen of her car, Amanda realises her worst nightmare has come someone out there knows her secret. The question is, who?And why are they contacting her now?As Amanda desperately searches for answers, her life starts to spin out of control. One inexplicable, frightening incident follows another, and Amanda’s terror escalates. When even her closest friend rejects her plea for help, she no longer knows who she can trust.What Amanda doesn’t realise is that even she hasn’t understood the terrible truth behind her long-held secret, that the trauma buried deep in her past is darker and more painful than she could possibly have imagined.
I really did enjoy this book. What a cat and mouse game. I couldn't put it down. It was very well written. I did like Amanda. I felt for her and what she went through. I wasn't sure about Edward I didn't trust him. Very twisty with surprising bits too. This did keep me guessing as to what Amanda's secret was. I did not expect that. Very surprised. 4*.

[Sylvia Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Know Your Secret by J.M. O'Rourke
Tour date 2/18/24
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Rating 3 stars 🌟 🌟 🌟
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Amanda has a secret. And someone has just left a note on her car telling her they know what it is. She doesn't want her husband or anyone else to find out about her past life. This could destroy her family if her kids were to ever know.
Amanda is a doctor. She's married to Edward, who is also a doctor. He doesn't seem to like her very much
1994, in college, she was abducted and held captured in a room where she was raped and tied to a bed
Amanda needs to find out the truth about what happened that night. Seems like she keeps hitting barriers every time she searches for the truth
Amanda has to find out who knows her secret before it gets out into the wrong hands, and her family learns of the truth

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I've read by this author so wasn't sure what to expect - but this one grabbed me right from the start and had me flying through the pages.

Amanda has a secret that she's kept hidden from everyone for many years.
One day she finds a bite on her windscreen that suggests someone knows her secret and the fear begins.

This wasn't a unique scenario for a psychological thriller, but I loved the way this was presented and developed - and who doesn't love taking these journeys with a flawed main character.

I actually quite liked Amanda and felt quite sorry for her throughout. I was much less keen on Edward and felt quite distrustful of him as we worked through the book.

I loved the writing style which had me hooked from the start and this was well paced, keeping my attention to the end. This was filled with twists and turns and the tension built up keeping me on the edge of my seat.

A great first read - and I'm keen to check out more books by this author.

[Claire Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gripping story with a cat and mouse twist. The plot was really intriguing and kept me engaged throughout. I loved all the tension! Just when I thought I'd figured it out, there was another twist/turn. Overall, this was a great read.

Thank you to Zoe @zooloosbooktours and the author for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

[Darren Bourn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This psychological thriller starts with an intriguing premise – a woman with a long-held secret that is about to unravel. Amanda seems to have an ideal life, but discovering an ominous note on her car suggests someone knows a secret that could destroy everything. This premise sets up a story full of suspense and intrigue as Amanda desperately tries to figure out who is targeting her.

However, I found that the story while promising tended to become a little predictable, what with everything that happens to the main character revolving around something that may have happened twenty years in the past when she went out for drinks while she was attending university.

After over twenty years (the book has flashbacks to something that happened in 1994), the main character's secret comes back to haunt her as she finds notes on her car and her computer stating "I know your secret".

On the positive side, the writing flows very well, and the author does build a lot of tension surrounding the mystery person taunting Amanda. This author's writing style lends toward those who enjoy psychological thrillers with complex female protagonists.

This book focuses on bad decisions and their consequences. It also highlights toxic relationships between spouses, between friends, between parents and children, and between work colleagues.

On a five-star scale, I can only give this book three stars because while the plot was fine I found that there were parts where the story seemed to drag and I wasn't able to get invested into it.

As with the majority of my literary ramblings, these are just a sample of my five cents worth.

[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review for I Know Your Secret by J M O’Rourke

This is an intriguing read and very gripping, just what is her secret? A book that keeps you guessing for a while but someone knows her secret and targets Dr Amanda Jackson so she starts going off the rails and then something terrible happens so she has to have time off work. She can’t talk to her husband about what is truly going on and so she opens up to her best friend Pri but not totally telling her the truth on what is going on either. The book is well written and terrifically plotted. Just who is behind it? I enjoyed reading this one as there was a lot going on in it.

Blurb :

Amanda kept her secret close to her heart. But even she didn’t know the truth.

As Dr Amanda Jackson moves through her seemingly perfect life in a plush Galway suburb, she knows that a secret she’s buried deep can never be revealed. Not to her husband of over two decades, not to her friends, and especially not to her two beloved children.

When she finds an ominous note pinned to the windscreen of her car, Amanda realises her worst nightmare has come true: someone out there knows her secret. The question is, who?
And why are they contacting her now?

As Amanda desperately searches for answers, her life starts to spin out of control. One inexplicable, frightening incident follows another, and Amanda’s terror escalates. When even her closest friend rejects her plea for help, she no longer knows who she can trust.

What Amanda doesn’t realise is that even she hasn’t understood the terrible truth behind her long-held secret, that the trauma buried deep in her past is darker and more painful than she could possibly have imagined.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr.Amanda has a secret, and someone else knows it. But who? That’s the mysterious fear Amanda lives with.
Married for 22 years to her doctor husband, with 2 children, Amanda has received several notes reading “ I know your secret”, unsigned and chilling. Now she has to relive a horrible event in her life, through nightmares and hallucinations, while both her marriage and career fall apart.

This was a riveting mystery, taking the reader through Amanda’s thoughts and fears, while wondering how she survived such a trauma.
It’s a well written book, leaving the reader guessing who the real culprit is behind Amanda’s troubles.
Thanks to Inkubator Books and Booksprouts for the ARC, in return for my honest review.
4 stars

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

💙🤗Great reading time!

Doctor Amanda Jackson left her work at the clinic and went to the parking lot where her Mercedes was parked.

As she started her car, she saw a white envelope hanging from the windshield...

>>>>>

Here is a captivating thriller which features an endearing main character who is completely overwhelmed by events.

I really liked the mind-blowing plot and the very successful characters, as well as the author's addictive writing style.

I couldn't guess the ending!
To discover !

[Jackthedad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy. If you want a synopsis, click on the book.

I found it difficult to engage with this book for a few reasons. The premise that two of the main characters were clever enough to achieve success in a senior medical role but both of them, having suffered the same trauma at the same time, bottled it up for many years even from each other, is not credible. The depiction of the mental asylum is a cliché and not credible. There was awful grammar, eg 'he had rang'. Sigh. Not for me, this book.

[Michelle Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda has spent years building her perfect life. She lives in a plush Galway suburb with her husband of over twenty years but she's been keeping a secret from everyone, including her husband, friends and children. Things change quickly when she finds a strange note on the windshield of her car. Who left the note? Why now after 20 plus years? Things escalate quickly and when her closest friend turns away her plea for help what will she do now?

[Shauntelle (myglamorousreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It grabbed me from the beginning and kept me on my toes and doubting what I thought to be true the whole way through. I kept changing my mind on what was going to happen and was wrong every time. I enjoyed the twists and turns and felt they were relevant and “fit” with the plot. I read this late at night and I was spooked during some scenes. Great read!

[Susan Belman · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - I had a really hard time with the MC Amanda being referred to as Amy and Amanda at the same time, I kept thinking there was a character I was missing. Also, for some reason I just couldn’t get into what was going on. I stopped and tried to reread it several times over the past couple of weeks and just couldn’t get lost in the story and compelled to read it.

[mydailyreads Rs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cant believe how good this book was and is what a page turner i do recommend for you guys to read this book as its really good it show how you reallly cant keep anything from happening or any secrets closed and hidden also dont get me started on the trust.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bren · Rating 5 out of 5]

One note is all it takes to unleash a secret that becomes a nightmare. I love the element of surprise in Amanda's story. This is one of those books that grabs your attention in the very beginning and keeps you holding on till the unexpected end.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done on another brilliant book which I Absolutely enjoyed reading keeping the readers guessing right up the last page pure genius on the Author's part congratulations on yet another brilliantly written book 😊📖

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[Chris Dobbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 This is my first book by this author. I liked the opening chapter which drew me in. Then, the writing style felt cluttered with details that didn't add to the story line but instead made the plot anti-climactic. Overall, the story was interesting.

[celene irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Story

I found the story difficult to get into in the first couple of chapters but I stuck with it and enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the storyline is based on a reality that is happening to women every day but the author got the story across very well

[blueyed_cntry_girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping thriller that’s hard to put down. My advise clear out the whole day to read with no interruptions.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about a woman who tried to leave the past in the past and move on with her life. But someone isn't going to let that happen. The ultimate betrayal! I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[valerie gosling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very complex

Enjoyed reading this book unfolds slowly drawing you in and keeping you guessing making you turn the pages to the very end

[William M. Stone III · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay ...........

Okay story not as much a twist as suggested. Sometimes the story was a little confusing as the author skipped around in the middle of the chapter.