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Anna Scavolini #6
The Secrets We Keep
Secrets can be a real killer.
Anna Scavolini thought she’d left Glasgow far behind her. Since quitting her job after her employers failed to back her when she most needed them, she’s been enjoying the quiet life in Italy. But when her old boss, Fraser Taggart, asks her to investigate the death of a former university colleague, she reluctantly returns to lay the ghosts of the past to rest.
Officially, Hugh MacLeish died of natural causes. Unofficially, he took his own life shortly after confessing to Fraser that he was being blackmailed. And, as Anna retraces the final months of Hugh’s life, she finds herself entangled in a mystery that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about her former mentor.
Who was blackmailing Hugh? What leverage did they have over him? As Anna edges closer to the answers she seeks, she must decide whether the truth is what she really wants – or if some secrets are best forgotten.
Anna Scavolini thought she’d left Glasgow far behind her. Since quitting her job after her employers failed to back her when she most needed them, she’s been enjoying the quiet life in Italy. But when her old boss, Fraser Taggart, asks her to investigate the death of a former university colleague, she reluctantly returns to lay the ghosts of the past to rest.
Officially, Hugh MacLeish died of natural causes. Unofficially, he took his own life shortly after confessing to Fraser that he was being blackmailed. And, as Anna retraces the final months of Hugh’s life, she finds herself entangled in a mystery that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about her former mentor.
Who was blackmailing Hugh? What leverage did they have over him? As Anna edges closer to the answers she seeks, she must decide whether the truth is what she really wants – or if some secrets are best forgotten.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2025
34 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Mackenzie
11 books70 followersTo get the latest news and your FREE sample chapters from the McIlvanney Prize-nominated In the Silence, join the M.R. Mackenzie Readers’ Club:
https://www.mrmackenzieauthor.com/rea...
M.R. Mackenzie is the author of several gritty, character-driven crime fiction novels set mainly in his native Glasgow, including an ongoing series of mysteries featuring criminology lecturer Anna Scavolini.
The first book in the series, In the Silence, was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year and longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2019.
The sixth, The Secrets We Keep, featured in the Financial Times’ Best Summer Books of 2025 (Crime and Thrillers) and IngramSpark’s 2025 Editorial Selection (Mystery/Thriller).
PRAISE FOR M.R. MACKENZIE:
“One of the most consistently accomplished writers on the current scene.” — Financial Times
“Brings a fresh new voice to the field of Tartan Noir.” — James Oswald
“Writes with precision and passion.” — Caro Ramsay
“An immersive slow burn of a tale, peppered with disquieting fire-crackers of revelation.” — Gordon J. Brown
“Mackenzie has come up with something that defies easy definition and is truly original.” — NB Magazine
“Up there with the best contemporary authors working today.” — David B. Lyons
https://www.mrmackenzieauthor.com/rea...
M.R. Mackenzie is the author of several gritty, character-driven crime fiction novels set mainly in his native Glasgow, including an ongoing series of mysteries featuring criminology lecturer Anna Scavolini.
The first book in the series, In the Silence, was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year and longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2019.
The sixth, The Secrets We Keep, featured in the Financial Times’ Best Summer Books of 2025 (Crime and Thrillers) and IngramSpark’s 2025 Editorial Selection (Mystery/Thriller).
PRAISE FOR M.R. MACKENZIE:
“One of the most consistently accomplished writers on the current scene.” — Financial Times
“Brings a fresh new voice to the field of Tartan Noir.” — James Oswald
“Writes with precision and passion.” — Caro Ramsay
“An immersive slow burn of a tale, peppered with disquieting fire-crackers of revelation.” — Gordon J. Brown
“Mackenzie has come up with something that defies easy definition and is truly original.” — NB Magazine
“Up there with the best contemporary authors working today.” — David B. Lyons
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January 3, 2026
This was the best in this series so far, the plot much more complex and took a turn that was totally unexpected. The characters add to the plot and are integral in the telling of the story. Looking forward to the release of the next in this series.
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