What do you think?
Rate this book
Maeve Kerrigan #12
The Secret Room
Wealthy, privileged Ilaria Cavendish checks into a luxury hotel in central London. Within the hour, her lover finds her submerged in a bath full of scalding water, dead. It looks like an accident, because no one went into the room with her and no one came out, but someone killed her all the same…
For DS Maeve Kerrigan the case is a welcome distraction from her worries about DI Josh Derwent, who is struggling with a difficult situation – but then disaster strikes. The only person who can help Josh now is Maeve. It's no longer will-they-won’t-they – this is a matter of life and death.
For DS Maeve Kerrigan the case is a welcome distraction from her worries about DI Josh Derwent, who is struggling with a difficult situation – but then disaster strikes. The only person who can help Josh now is Maeve. It's no longer will-they-won’t-they – this is a matter of life and death.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2025
412 people are currently reading
1498 people want to read
About the author
Jane Casey
37 books2,706 followersShe studied English at Jesus College, Oxford, followed by an mPhil in Anglo-Irish Literature at Trinity College, Dublin
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 420 reviews
July 27, 2025
Haven’t any idea where to begin. This is my family.
RR.
EVEN BETTER THE SECOND TIME. CANT WAIT FOR THE 50TH.
JOSHMAEVE YOU ARE EVERYTHING
RR.
EVEN BETTER THE SECOND TIME. CANT WAIT FOR THE 50TH.
JOSHMAEVE YOU ARE EVERYTHING
May 5, 2025
Josh and Maeve are genuinely God’s greatest gift to this earth. Jane Casey I owe you my life.
December 18, 2024
I was so excited to read this book after the epilogue in 'A Stranger in The Family'. I read The Secret Room in one sitting and my heart never stopped racing the whole time. What a rollercoaster of emotions! This book is so well plotted and the pacing is spot on. I read each sentence carefully for fear of missing some important detail (as I have discovered on re-reads of Jane's previous books that I have missed little details that come back into relevance in future books/storylines).
The tension is amazing between the murder case and the storyline involving Josh. I was guessing until the end who the culprit was! Once again, a one liner is dropped that gives our heroine detective her motive!
I loved seeing the extra interactions with Luke and Maeve's parents. Its nice to see background characters brought into the plot as they influence Maeve and Josh so much.
As for the WTWT? My angst levels were through the roof and at times I was so frustrated by Josh's behavior. But it seems like he finally took some advice he was previously given and needs Maeve to decide for herself what will make her happy first. You'll have to read it to see what she does!
This is such an addictive series and this latest book was well worth the wait (and the worry!). I can't wait for the next one!
Huge thanks to Harper Collins UK/Hemlock Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
The tension is amazing between the murder case and the storyline involving Josh. I was guessing until the end who the culprit was! Once again, a one liner is dropped that gives our heroine detective her motive!
I loved seeing the extra interactions with Luke and Maeve's parents. Its nice to see background characters brought into the plot as they influence Maeve and Josh so much.
As for the WTWT? My angst levels were through the roof and at times I was so frustrated by Josh's behavior. But it seems like he finally took some advice he was previously given and needs Maeve to decide for herself what will make her happy first. You'll have to read it to see what she does!
This is such an addictive series and this latest book was well worth the wait (and the worry!). I can't wait for the next one!
Huge thanks to Harper Collins UK/Hemlock Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
April 24, 2025
Review to follow nearer publication date.
Unfortunately I didn’t finish this book. I found as the series progresses the stories have become more about Maeve and Josh having a relationship than the actual crimes. I never read romance novels so I’m disappointed that this series has headed that direction.
Unfortunately I didn’t finish this book. I found as the series progresses the stories have become more about Maeve and Josh having a relationship than the actual crimes. I never read romance novels so I’m disappointed that this series has headed that direction.
April 29, 2025
man, i hated it soooooooo much. i started reading this series a little bit before the publication of book 10, the close, but read the whole series in order because i’m a completist. i was pretty quickly very invested in maeve as a character and liked her storylines with rob. and then derwent showed up and i have truly no weaker a weak spot than partners who will, eventually and in many ways, fall very much in love.
derwent has always been a complicated character to enjoy. he’s abrasive and sexist and crude and arrogant; the redeeming aspects of his character revealed themselves sporadically but consistently. it was always a credit to jane casey’s writing and the way she constructed josh and maeve as parts of a whole that he was as endearing and enjoyable as he was. the push-pull of their working and personal relationship has been so engaging to me over the last probably seven books, and i was looking so incredibly forward to seeing them finally resolve their sexual and romantic tension and finally get the happy-ish ending i felt they were headed for. and yet.
it was certainly no secret of the series that derwent fell first, and hardest, and immediately, and that maeve would have to break down a lot of barriers within herself to finally admit she was in love with him. i always thought that would be the first of several obstacles they’d have to overcome. how would these two stubborn, defensive and passive aggressive assholes actually be in a relationship? what would be the professional fallout of them getting together? how would they navigate the transition from usually antagonistic coworkers to the type of mature adult relationship i was hoping we’d see between them? and if not a mature relationship, what would their relationship look like and would that make either of them actually happy?
i always thought jane casey did an exceptional job making their relationship feel intimate and inevitable and like something that would ultimately smooth the rougher parts of their individual personalities. it’s the thing i’m usually seeking in my favorite fictional pairings: the ways in which the love story changes two people for the better, and in realistic and tangible ways, and is demonstrated through personal sacrifice and accountability. the moments between them that i liked best were usually rare bits of tenderness and earnestness and consideration. i was excited to see how that tenseness would manifest itself as they realized their attraction and love for each other.
to say that this book delivered on none of that is an understatement. i thought the close did a really good job of bringing maeve and josh to the brink of their sexual attraction and was excited to see the next books explore their emotional/romantic connection. but book 11 didn’t deliver on that and neither did book 12. it continued the immature back and forth, will they won’t they storyline without giving us much indication of why or whether these two people actually want to be together in any type of longterm, adult way. it re-tread ground well covered by previous books: josh keeping maeve from making her own decisions, trying to force her into a corner where he was for some reason convinced she’d be happier. this storyline was already dealt with in at least two previous books and shows no growth or character development in book 12.
imo the last few books have also felt narratively inconsistent and dissatisfying. they have been whole pages of clunky dialogue accompanied by the thinnest of interior narration. we’ve learned so little about what maeve actually feels for josh, and how she feels about how she feels, and what she wants out of their relationship. we know almost nothing about how she’s reflected on the past however many years of partnership, and whether she’s nervous about jeopardizing their partnership, and what she wants their new relationship to look like. there’s been so little discussion of their mindsets in the narration and i’ve found it really disappointing. the brief moments of tenderness and yearning between them hold no more narrative significance than the musings of minor characters.
this book sent derwent and maeve back to the worst versions of their characters. derwent manipulative and controlling, maeve insecure and reckless. there’s no indication to me that they know how to make each other happy, or know how to balance their personal and professional relationships, or have the ability to maturely discuss … anything. the flip flopping between will they and won’t they was almost impossible to keep track of and never made logical sense emotionally. the sexual resolution was almost devoid of emotional intimacy and poorly executed.
this is all setting aside the melissa of it all, and the things in this book i found most disappointing outside josh and maeve’s storyline. luke got naked in front of maeve, basically his stepmother, to make sure she wouldn’t fuck him? owen was a meaningless obstacle that served almost no real purpose? roz was a reflection of maeve as a detective but was an absolutely terrible investigator? liv and georgia had almost no real conversations with maeve or demonstrated actual friendship in any way? there was a stabbing attack that pushed the plot and characters forward in literally no way? for why?
there was literally almost nothing i liked about this book, and i think it’s an incredible disappointment for a series and a pairing that i have been heavily invested in for years. i will treasure the early books and still think they were so promising, but idk whether it was the pressure of sticking the landing, the pace at which these books were written and released, or what. but this was an incredible miss to me. i truly think there was so much squandered potential and it’s really disappointing to me to see it resolved this way.
derwent has always been a complicated character to enjoy. he’s abrasive and sexist and crude and arrogant; the redeeming aspects of his character revealed themselves sporadically but consistently. it was always a credit to jane casey’s writing and the way she constructed josh and maeve as parts of a whole that he was as endearing and enjoyable as he was. the push-pull of their working and personal relationship has been so engaging to me over the last probably seven books, and i was looking so incredibly forward to seeing them finally resolve their sexual and romantic tension and finally get the happy-ish ending i felt they were headed for. and yet.
it was certainly no secret of the series that derwent fell first, and hardest, and immediately, and that maeve would have to break down a lot of barriers within herself to finally admit she was in love with him. i always thought that would be the first of several obstacles they’d have to overcome. how would these two stubborn, defensive and passive aggressive assholes actually be in a relationship? what would be the professional fallout of them getting together? how would they navigate the transition from usually antagonistic coworkers to the type of mature adult relationship i was hoping we’d see between them? and if not a mature relationship, what would their relationship look like and would that make either of them actually happy?
i always thought jane casey did an exceptional job making their relationship feel intimate and inevitable and like something that would ultimately smooth the rougher parts of their individual personalities. it’s the thing i’m usually seeking in my favorite fictional pairings: the ways in which the love story changes two people for the better, and in realistic and tangible ways, and is demonstrated through personal sacrifice and accountability. the moments between them that i liked best were usually rare bits of tenderness and earnestness and consideration. i was excited to see how that tenseness would manifest itself as they realized their attraction and love for each other.
to say that this book delivered on none of that is an understatement. i thought the close did a really good job of bringing maeve and josh to the brink of their sexual attraction and was excited to see the next books explore their emotional/romantic connection. but book 11 didn’t deliver on that and neither did book 12. it continued the immature back and forth, will they won’t they storyline without giving us much indication of why or whether these two people actually want to be together in any type of longterm, adult way. it re-tread ground well covered by previous books: josh keeping maeve from making her own decisions, trying to force her into a corner where he was for some reason convinced she’d be happier. this storyline was already dealt with in at least two previous books and shows no growth or character development in book 12.
imo the last few books have also felt narratively inconsistent and dissatisfying. they have been whole pages of clunky dialogue accompanied by the thinnest of interior narration. we’ve learned so little about what maeve actually feels for josh, and how she feels about how she feels, and what she wants out of their relationship. we know almost nothing about how she’s reflected on the past however many years of partnership, and whether she’s nervous about jeopardizing their partnership, and what she wants their new relationship to look like. there’s been so little discussion of their mindsets in the narration and i’ve found it really disappointing. the brief moments of tenderness and yearning between them hold no more narrative significance than the musings of minor characters.
this book sent derwent and maeve back to the worst versions of their characters. derwent manipulative and controlling, maeve insecure and reckless. there’s no indication to me that they know how to make each other happy, or know how to balance their personal and professional relationships, or have the ability to maturely discuss … anything. the flip flopping between will they and won’t they was almost impossible to keep track of and never made logical sense emotionally. the sexual resolution was almost devoid of emotional intimacy and poorly executed.
this is all setting aside the melissa of it all, and the things in this book i found most disappointing outside josh and maeve’s storyline. luke got naked in front of maeve, basically his stepmother, to make sure she wouldn’t fuck him? owen was a meaningless obstacle that served almost no real purpose? roz was a reflection of maeve as a detective but was an absolutely terrible investigator? liv and georgia had almost no real conversations with maeve or demonstrated actual friendship in any way? there was a stabbing attack that pushed the plot and characters forward in literally no way? for why?
there was literally almost nothing i liked about this book, and i think it’s an incredible disappointment for a series and a pairing that i have been heavily invested in for years. i will treasure the early books and still think they were so promising, but idk whether it was the pressure of sticking the landing, the pace at which these books were written and released, or what. but this was an incredible miss to me. i truly think there was so much squandered potential and it’s really disappointing to me to see it resolved this way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2024
Jane Casey’s books need to be read at least twice, preferably more, because the devil is well and truly in the detail. I read prolifically and I cannot think of a current crime writer who manages to surreptitiously place such nuance and detail that I have to comb through her books again and again, always find some new insight into a character.
The Secret Room is a locked room mystery, but it takes second place here to the ongoing saga between Kerrigan and Derwent, an almost-romance that has been ongoing for eleven books. I cannot lie, I read the end first - not unusual for me - and then I read backwards by chapter until I was sure I was brave enough to read from the start.
No spoilers. This was well crafted, tense, edge-of-your-seat-with-no-nails-left, every single feel, pure reading bliss.
I highly recommend the series, this book, and re reading every single book to discover more secrets buried between the lines.
The Secret Room is a locked room mystery, but it takes second place here to the ongoing saga between Kerrigan and Derwent, an almost-romance that has been ongoing for eleven books. I cannot lie, I read the end first - not unusual for me - and then I read backwards by chapter until I was sure I was brave enough to read from the start.
No spoilers. This was well crafted, tense, edge-of-your-seat-with-no-nails-left, every single feel, pure reading bliss.
I highly recommend the series, this book, and re reading every single book to discover more secrets buried between the lines.
December 19, 2024
Maeve and Josh are real people and you won’t convince me otherwise, even if only the brilliant Jane Casey can see them. I had been anxiously awaiting this book given the ending of the previous one and can absolutely attest that it does not disappoint. The murder case is intriguing and well developed, and you feel you had the same information as Maeve as she tries to put the pieces together, unlike in some mysteries. There’s a secondary mystery involving Josh that is just as compelling and far more emotional, and lots of twists as these two flawed but deeply good people try to work out what they will be to one another. And again, they’re totally real people. More real than many people I actually know.
I know some readers have objected in previous books to the relative time devoted to the Maeve-Josh relationship as compared to the police procedural elements of the plot. I actually think it’s a sign of just how good Ms Casey is that those two things blend together seamlessly because that is of course how life actually works, and I love that mix in these books. Read the book, read the entire series, and just enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily
I know some readers have objected in previous books to the relative time devoted to the Maeve-Josh relationship as compared to the police procedural elements of the plot. I actually think it’s a sign of just how good Ms Casey is that those two things blend together seamlessly because that is of course how life actually works, and I love that mix in these books. Read the book, read the entire series, and just enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily
December 21, 2024
Jane Casey continues to ruin me, both emotionally and also for any other books. Nothing compares to this series. The smart, multi-layered plot lines, the dialogue, the characters, ALL OF IT. This book, like the rest of the series, enthralled me and put me in a trance of effortless reading that I haven't felt since I was an school age child dissociating with a stack of library books. I shut out everything, even the awareness that I'm reading, and get completely lost in the story.
I finished two other unrelated books this week, they were fine, but dragged at parts. I genuinely enjoyed them, but I would put them down, get distracted, do other things, skim the slow parts. Not here. I walked around the house in a daze, Kindle in hand. I feel like I lived three lifetimes throughout this book.
Jane Casey has managed to stay so consistent with the characterization of these characters who feel like old friends, and I loved seeing more of Maeve's parents in this book.
This installment also introduced a couple new characters that I hope we get to hear more about -- spinoff, please?!
Exuberant thanks to Harper Collins UK/Hemlock Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
I finished two other unrelated books this week, they were fine, but dragged at parts. I genuinely enjoyed them, but I would put them down, get distracted, do other things, skim the slow parts. Not here. I walked around the house in a daze, Kindle in hand. I feel like I lived three lifetimes throughout this book.
Jane Casey has managed to stay so consistent with the characterization of these characters who feel like old friends, and I loved seeing more of Maeve's parents in this book.
This installment also introduced a couple new characters that I hope we get to hear more about -- spinoff, please?!
Exuberant thanks to Harper Collins UK/Hemlock Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
April 24, 2025
jane casey is a master of making me want to gnaw my arm off with anxiety and frustration and i love her for it
May 19, 2025
I didn't realise when I picked this up that it was the Maeve Kerrigan series. I promised myself a while back I was not to read anymore of these as I didn't like it but this one...
I wanted a thriller, a crime I had to work out, instead I got a badly written romance, where 2 people, despite knowing each other years, can't be in the same room without longing looks, innuendos, ridiculous romantic bits.
I hated their storyline. it was unrealistic, and just boring. I didn't care. And for the actual storyline, you could see the Melissa thing a mile off and by the time I got resolution for the real story, I couldn't care less as I'd spent the last day eye rolling every time Meave and Josh were near each other.
You'd swear a 13 year-old girl wrote this about her first crush.
I wanted a thriller, a crime I had to work out, instead I got a badly written romance, where 2 people, despite knowing each other years, can't be in the same room without longing looks, innuendos, ridiculous romantic bits.
I hated their storyline. it was unrealistic, and just boring. I didn't care. And for the actual storyline, you could see the Melissa thing a mile off and by the time I got resolution for the real story, I couldn't care less as I'd spent the last day eye rolling every time Meave and Josh were near each other.
You'd swear a 13 year-old girl wrote this about her first crush.
May 24, 2025
Bit torn with this one. I've always loved this series and the central characters in it. However much as I love them, this book seemed more about them than the case they were investigating...
Also didn't really like how Maeve was behaving at times.
Don't really want to say much more in case I spoil it but in someways this one was a bit disappointing
Also didn't really like how Maeve was behaving at times.
Don't really want to say much more in case I spoil it but in someways this one was a bit disappointing
May 8, 2025
As a dedicated Jane Casey reader, I’ve followed every twist and turn of her novels, but this one left me with mixed feelings. While I found it stronger than the previous installment, the slow-burn dynamic between Kerrigan and Derwent—something I once loved—should have reached its conclusion in The Close. Instead, the backtracking created confusion and made me question whether I had misremembered the ending of the last book.
The crime plot, which should have been central, felt overshadowed by another case that reintroduced and reworked a previously established character. It was frustrating trying to keep up with the shifts in narrative direction, and at times, it felt like the book was undoing what had been set in place before. Even familiar characters weren’t immune—Derwent seemed inconsistent compared to the past, His first appearance,changed by his second and Rob’s standalone story took unexpected turns that didn't quite fit.
One of the biggest disappointments for me was Derwent’s behavior toward Kerrigan. It felt like it had gone on too long, making me sympathize more with Liv and Georgia than I expected. What had been an enjoyable would be romance until The Close is now testing my patience.
Despite my love for Jane Casey’s storytelling, the continual backtracking and character shifts make me hesitant about where this series is headed. I’ll keep an open mind for the next installment, but for now, my enthusiasm is wavering.
December 28, 2024
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.
Now, after THAT cliffhanger at the end of A Stranger in the Family, we have been asked by Jane not to spoil what happens next in the Maeve-Josh storyline. There is nothing I could really say that wouldn’t spoil it, and no one wants that, so I will just 🤐and let you experience what happens next as she intended!
So this is book 12 in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series and, whilst it is a standalone story in itself, there is a lot going on between the characters that would make going back at least a few books worthwhile in my opinion.
In the latest story, Maeve and Josh are tasked with solving what appears to be an impossible murder. Ilaria Cavendish checked into a luxury London hotel on a Wednesday afternoon, and shortly afterwards she’s found dead in a scalding bath full of water by her secret lover. There are no signs that anyone else was in the room - but there are signs that it wasn’t an accident.
In a parallel story, something happens to Josh to put him in serious trouble - and he wants Maeve to stay right out of it. I can’t explain more without spoiling too much but there is everything at stake for both of them. And a fresh light is shed on a lot of things we thought we knew…
Ah this was another fabulous addition to one of my very favourite series. Absolutely gripping, keeping me guessing throughout. And the Will They - Won’t They storyline that continues to be the hottest topic since Who Killed Laura Palmer? 🤣 I just cannot get enough of this series! Jane’s writing, as ever, is so compelling, clever, tense and hard not to get emotionally invested.
Now, after THAT cliffhanger at the end of A Stranger in the Family, we have been asked by Jane not to spoil what happens next in the Maeve-Josh storyline. There is nothing I could really say that wouldn’t spoil it, and no one wants that, so I will just 🤐and let you experience what happens next as she intended!
So this is book 12 in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series and, whilst it is a standalone story in itself, there is a lot going on between the characters that would make going back at least a few books worthwhile in my opinion.
In the latest story, Maeve and Josh are tasked with solving what appears to be an impossible murder. Ilaria Cavendish checked into a luxury London hotel on a Wednesday afternoon, and shortly afterwards she’s found dead in a scalding bath full of water by her secret lover. There are no signs that anyone else was in the room - but there are signs that it wasn’t an accident.
In a parallel story, something happens to Josh to put him in serious trouble - and he wants Maeve to stay right out of it. I can’t explain more without spoiling too much but there is everything at stake for both of them. And a fresh light is shed on a lot of things we thought we knew…
Ah this was another fabulous addition to one of my very favourite series. Absolutely gripping, keeping me guessing throughout. And the Will They - Won’t They storyline that continues to be the hottest topic since Who Killed Laura Palmer? 🤣 I just cannot get enough of this series! Jane’s writing, as ever, is so compelling, clever, tense and hard not to get emotionally invested.
May 13, 2025
I’ve loved this series so far, but it pains me to say this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Its main plot seemed to be the “will they, won’t they” relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent, and much less the criminal case (which in any event was pretty implausible) and the novel ended up feeling more chick-lit than crime thriller. Still readable but a bit meh, and oddly made me dislike the two protagonists, who came across as whiny (her) and arrogant (him) when the focus was on them as much as it was.
May 24, 2025
I have followed this series since the first book was published, and despite my love for the characters and Jane Casey's writing, the last few books have really tested my patience.
I can see from the reviews that many people are invested in this book due to the Maeve and Josh romance. I initially enjoyed their growing relationship, but it has dragged on FAR too long and come to dominate the plotlines. I loved Jane Casey's clever detective stories, but they have been replaced by increasingly unbelievable romantic twists and turns.
This story went over a lot of old ground, and Maeve and Josh acted as if the last few books never happened. Josh became controlling and reverted to making decisions for Maeve. She became weak and whiny. I started to agree with Liv and Georgia that Maeve was better off without Josh!
The focus on the romance also made for a very disjointed narrative. The secret room mystery got pushed aside for large parts of the plot to the point I forgot key characters' names. It was also ridiculously implausible.
I was deeply uncomfortable with the Melissa storyline. It's hard enough for women to be believed and get domestic abuse cases to court, and then we get a plot in which the woman is making it up. It felt like a cop out (excuse the pun). If Josh really wanted to be with Maeve, then bloody well be with her and find a way to make the rest work. Don't make the other woman a villain and make it easy for him to walk away without ever showing she was more important to him than Thomas.
There's still plenty to enjoy here, but it increasingly feels like I'm having to find it in between the nonsense! I'm really hoping that we get the balance back when the series returns.
I can see from the reviews that many people are invested in this book due to the Maeve and Josh romance. I initially enjoyed their growing relationship, but it has dragged on FAR too long and come to dominate the plotlines. I loved Jane Casey's clever detective stories, but they have been replaced by increasingly unbelievable romantic twists and turns.
This story went over a lot of old ground, and Maeve and Josh acted as if the last few books never happened. Josh became controlling and reverted to making decisions for Maeve. She became weak and whiny. I started to agree with Liv and Georgia that Maeve was better off without Josh!
The focus on the romance also made for a very disjointed narrative. The secret room mystery got pushed aside for large parts of the plot to the point I forgot key characters' names. It was also ridiculously implausible.
I was deeply uncomfortable with the Melissa storyline. It's hard enough for women to be believed and get domestic abuse cases to court, and then we get a plot in which the woman is making it up. It felt like a cop out (excuse the pun). If Josh really wanted to be with Maeve, then bloody well be with her and find a way to make the rest work. Don't make the other woman a villain and make it easy for him to walk away without ever showing she was more important to him than Thomas.
There's still plenty to enjoy here, but it increasingly feels like I'm having to find it in between the nonsense! I'm really hoping that we get the balance back when the series returns.
December 19, 2024
cosmical power given to the pen, ink and paper jane casey wrote joshmaeve with idgaf
May 25, 2025
Book 12 in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series. This was one of my favourite series, good storylines and the side story of Maeve & Derwents relationship but this book focused on their relationship rather than the storyline. It was more of a romance novel than crime. After the first few chapters when the murder is committed, it’s not mentioned again until near the end of the book !! A huge disappointment for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review
August 3, 2025
Oh my oh my oh my!!! That book! That story! That ending! It was everything and more I could have asked for!
Jane Casey is a very very smart writer. Please please I need more Maeve Kerrigan and soon!
Jane Casey is a very very smart writer. Please please I need more Maeve Kerrigan and soon!
February 2, 2025
Okay. Alright. I had to do a few laps around my house after finishing this one, and I'm not even kidding.
The Secret Room is the 12th instalment of Maeve Kerrigan series and, while we've come so far, Jane Casey has no intention of slowing down. If anything, she stepped on the gas pedal and flung us straight over the drawbridge!
After #11 'A Stranger in the Family' ends with a (frankly) devious cliffhanger, we're dropping in again to find Maeve trying to solve the murder case of Ilaria Cavendish, a rich interior designer who enters a hotel room and dies without anyone going in or out. It is a very intriguing locked room mystery! Our detectives have to deal with this head-scratcher on top of shocking developments in Josh's personal life.
It was a rollercoaster from start to finish. From the murder case, to the events in Maeve and Josh's personal lives. Our favorite detectives are going through it, you guys, and I was just itching to give them a hug throughout the novel. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I carried my kindle everywhere with me so I could spend every single spare minute reading.
For those new to this series, the main mystery in this novel (as in every previous instalment!) can be enjoyed even by first time readers without missing anything, and if the mystery plot is all you're here for, by all means dig right in. It's a juicy one!
But if you appreciate the plots involving main characters' personal lives mixed in with your mystery, I warmly recommend starting from the beginning because it's really worth it to see Maeve grow from the only woman DC on the team and all the insecurities that came with it, into Detective Sargent Kerrigan. And not to mention the will-they-won't-they romance between Josh and Maeve that starts from dislike and grows into grudging respect and then...and then!
This novel ends with another bombshell development that had me experiencing a full spectrum of emotions I wasn't prepared for on a Sunday morning. I simply can't recommend this novel enough!
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy!
The Secret Room is the 12th instalment of Maeve Kerrigan series and, while we've come so far, Jane Casey has no intention of slowing down. If anything, she stepped on the gas pedal and flung us straight over the drawbridge!
After #11 'A Stranger in the Family' ends with a (frankly) devious cliffhanger, we're dropping in again to find Maeve trying to solve the murder case of Ilaria Cavendish, a rich interior designer who enters a hotel room and dies without anyone going in or out. It is a very intriguing locked room mystery! Our detectives have to deal with this head-scratcher on top of shocking developments in Josh's personal life.
It was a rollercoaster from start to finish. From the murder case, to the events in Maeve and Josh's personal lives. Our favorite detectives are going through it, you guys, and I was just itching to give them a hug throughout the novel. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I carried my kindle everywhere with me so I could spend every single spare minute reading.
For those new to this series, the main mystery in this novel (as in every previous instalment!) can be enjoyed even by first time readers without missing anything, and if the mystery plot is all you're here for, by all means dig right in. It's a juicy one!
But if you appreciate the plots involving main characters' personal lives mixed in with your mystery, I warmly recommend starting from the beginning because it's really worth it to see Maeve grow from the only woman DC on the team and all the insecurities that came with it, into Detective Sargent Kerrigan. And not to mention the will-they-won't-they romance between Josh and Maeve that starts from dislike and grows into grudging respect and then...and then!
This novel ends with another bombshell development that had me experiencing a full spectrum of emotions I wasn't prepared for on a Sunday morning. I simply can't recommend this novel enough!
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy!
January 31, 2025
OMG!!!!!!!! I am without words right now, the only thing I can do is stare blankly at the wall feeling dizzy. I read this book in one sitting, and I was holding my breath until the very ending, jane Casey did it again and wrote another masterpiece that will be living rent free in mind until the next book. The way Jane Casey is able to surprise me book after book is unmatched and refreshing. I think that after some amount of reading you start to get a little more “tough” and “seasoned” in the way that being really surprised with something new gets more rare with time,specially considering the times we are living in. But at same time the joy you find when you discover and immerse yourself in a really good book ( in these case fortunately a reasonable quantity of books) is unmatched, in my mind it’s similar to find a treasure or the sensation you have when you find THAT piece of clothing thrifting, that’s so unique and exactly what you were searching for-or most of the times better than anything you could even imagine yourself- and every time you use that piece you feel the same joy you felt the day you found it, you actually treasure and appreciate it every single time, because in a way the the thrill of the hunt of finding it hidden among tons of rubbish make it even more special. I think this analogy explains really well my relation with the Maeve Kerrigan series, since the first book that I read I was really hooked and the more I read into the series more I treasured it like my favorite thrift finds. I went in without much expectation and find myself surprised and obsessed in away that no book had made me feel in the last few years. And to finish my ramble: joshmaeve are E V E R Y T H I N G!!!
May 3, 2025
The Secret Room by Jane Casey is the latest in the Maeve Kerrigan series and though I'm an intermittent reader of the series I loved the previous book (
A Stranger in the Family
) which left us hanging. Here, we have one case involving the locked-room death of the young attractive wife of a wealthy man, murdered while at her weekly tryst with her lover; and another featuring Josh Derwent (Maeve's boss and erstwhile will-they / won't-they love interest) coming under suspicion after his girlfriend is beaten.
I very much enjoyed this and was again reminded early of Casey's eloquent prose...
Death had arrived just ahead of me, and greeted my like an old friend, which was fortunate because the staff downstairs had been distinctly chilly. Here was the familiar nightmarish sense of everything normal having shuddered to a stop, the ordinary and everyday turned strange. 2% through ebook #perfection
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
I very much enjoyed this and was again reminded early of Casey's eloquent prose...
Death had arrived just ahead of me, and greeted my like an old friend, which was fortunate because the staff downstairs had been distinctly chilly. Here was the familiar nightmarish sense of everything normal having shuddered to a stop, the ordinary and everyday turned strange. 2% through ebook #perfection
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
June 13, 2025
while i love this series and obviously loved this book (i mean, i completely devoured it), i have some serious qualms with an author (especially a female one!) writing about a woman faking domestic abuse for her own gain. it made me feel very icky and really overshadowed the rest of what happened in the book. the plot could have unfolded in a similar fashion using only the child abuse storyline that melissa ended up being a perpetrator of. the last thing any woman needs in this world is another narrative about how women lie about abuse, even if it is fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2025
This is a romance novel with a bit of crime in it. If you are going to read this with the hope of reading a thrilling murder mystery you will be disappointed.
For very large portions of this book the story around the murder disappears entirely.
A lot of eye rolling required to get through the cringey bits. The ending chapter is laughably bad.
For very large portions of this book the story around the murder disappears entirely.
A lot of eye rolling required to get through the cringey bits. The ending chapter is laughably bad.
May 10, 2025
More a romance novel!
This is a very disappointing book. I have enjoyed all the others but the whole done it bit wasn’t really the focus in this book it was the relationship between Josh and Maeve. Totally predictable plot with Melissa and a disappointment all round!
This is a very disappointing book. I have enjoyed all the others but the whole done it bit wasn’t really the focus in this book it was the relationship between Josh and Maeve. Totally predictable plot with Melissa and a disappointment all round!
July 16, 2025
FINALLY!!!! Thank you, Jane Casey!
January 26, 2025
I was lucky to be granted early access by the NetGalley to the 12th book of the Maeve Kerrigan series, The Secret Room.
First of all, this series is one of my favorites, and I liked the characters so much that I couldn't stop thinking about them a couple of months after reading Book 11.
I discovered this series about a year ago, and already on the second book, I was utterly drawn into the world of investigation, as in this part, the author introduces us to Josh Derwent and significantly reveals secondary characters, giving the book and the whole series more dynamics. Of course, each part could easily be read separately and independently. Still, in this way, tracking the development of dynamics between the series's main characters, Derwent and Kerrigan, is a little bit lost.
Although this series deserves the title of the slowest slow burn, as the main characters find their deserved happy ending only in the latest book, it feels a bit drawn out and oversaturated, and now I will explain why.
From Book 2 onwards, every part of the series is a palette of different feelings between Derwent and Kerrigan - at first, the two dislike each other (although we later learn that Derwent was hiding his true feelings for Maeve), then gradually, by Book 4 the two become colleagues on good terms. After Book 4, they become friends, until by Book 9, the attraction between them becomes apparent. They are actually willing to do anything for each other.
But all the while, there have been obstacles in the way of Maeve and Josh getting to each other - often in the form of each other's partners. At the end of Part 6, Josh starts living with Melissa and raising her son Thomas. It was this storyline that I had a massive problem within The Secret Room.
The whole plot in Book 12 was concentrated not on the mysterious murder in the hotel and its investigation and not even on the feelings of Kerrigan and Derwent, but on an absolutely unreasonable and, in my opinion, unfortunate and as if at the last moment invented twist in the personality of Melissa. It is as if the author wanted to portray her as such a negative character that only such a plot twist makes Derwent finally break up with her and, with a clear heart and conscience, fully plunge and devote himself to Maeve. Melissa's story was not believable and felt like a stretch.
I am totally thrilled with the happy ending, but it felt throughout the reading not like a treat to be savored but more like a dish that you looked at throughout the 12 books and then just took and swallowed without tasting it.
I would have liked more investigation into the case and the depth of feeling of the main characters. I don't know if Jane Casey plans a sequel, but I will still love this series for Josh and Maeve and their incredible chemistry.
First of all, this series is one of my favorites, and I liked the characters so much that I couldn't stop thinking about them a couple of months after reading Book 11.
I discovered this series about a year ago, and already on the second book, I was utterly drawn into the world of investigation, as in this part, the author introduces us to Josh Derwent and significantly reveals secondary characters, giving the book and the whole series more dynamics. Of course, each part could easily be read separately and independently. Still, in this way, tracking the development of dynamics between the series's main characters, Derwent and Kerrigan, is a little bit lost.
Although this series deserves the title of the slowest slow burn, as the main characters find their deserved happy ending only in the latest book, it feels a bit drawn out and oversaturated, and now I will explain why.
From Book 2 onwards, every part of the series is a palette of different feelings between Derwent and Kerrigan - at first, the two dislike each other (although we later learn that Derwent was hiding his true feelings for Maeve), then gradually, by Book 4 the two become colleagues on good terms. After Book 4, they become friends, until by Book 9, the attraction between them becomes apparent. They are actually willing to do anything for each other.
But all the while, there have been obstacles in the way of Maeve and Josh getting to each other - often in the form of each other's partners. At the end of Part 6, Josh starts living with Melissa and raising her son Thomas. It was this storyline that I had a massive problem within The Secret Room.
The whole plot in Book 12 was concentrated not on the mysterious murder in the hotel and its investigation and not even on the feelings of Kerrigan and Derwent, but on an absolutely unreasonable and, in my opinion, unfortunate and as if at the last moment invented twist in the personality of Melissa. It is as if the author wanted to portray her as such a negative character that only such a plot twist makes Derwent finally break up with her and, with a clear heart and conscience, fully plunge and devote himself to Maeve. Melissa's story was not believable and felt like a stretch.
I am totally thrilled with the happy ending, but it felt throughout the reading not like a treat to be savored but more like a dish that you looked at throughout the 12 books and then just took and swallowed without tasting it.
I would have liked more investigation into the case and the depth of feeling of the main characters. I don't know if Jane Casey plans a sequel, but I will still love this series for Josh and Maeve and their incredible chemistry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2025
I am now done with this series. I wish I had read my review of her last book because my feeling about the series was right there, in plain sight. I bought this one though, forgetting my last review, where I said Casey’s plots were too complex, verging on the incredible in terms of police detecting and that the relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent was very annoying after 11 previous books. Casey still writes well but that’s about all I can say. The main murder gets shunted to the side for most of the book so that we can sit on the sofa with Kerrigan and hand her tissues while she pines over Josh Derwent and he continues to do the Harlequin Romance type “strong and distant” male thing. Thr solution to the first murder finally comes in the last chapter (I thought Casey was going to forget it to tell you the truth) and how Kerrigan ever came up with it is beyond me. Casey makes her out to be some kind of super duper sleuth but, to me, it’s just impossible. She didn’t have enough clues to make the jump she did. I won’t comment further on the Kerrigan - Derwent relationship, if you’ve read Casey and enjoyed their will they/won’t they, that’s fine. For me, I’m done, don’t care. I’ve given it three stars because Casey is a good wordsmith. But if I were just judging it on what I read mysteries/thrillers for, I’d only give it two stars.
July 25, 2025
It genuinely kills me to give a Maeve Kerrigan book such a low rating but what in the name of crap did I just read? This is not just a bad Maeve Kerrigan book, it’s a bad book overall.
If I wanted to read a romance book I’d buy one. I like others have enjoyed the Maeve & Josh story but at times I have expressed it takes over the story. This book was just tripe about them & their feelings. Maeve has become a real pathetic whine bag of a character. She is so far removed from what she began as it’s quite tragic.
What happened to the crimes? The corruption? The mystery? There was a time I think the actual crime in this book was forgotten for many a chapter.
Don’t start me on the Melissa storyline, Stevie Wonder could have seen that play out the way it did. Is a woman faking domestic violence appropriate right now? I’m not sure. Personally I thought it was tasteless and absolutely pointless.
I hate to say it but it’s time for Maeve’s story to come to an end. This book was just silly and annoying to read
If I wanted to read a romance book I’d buy one. I like others have enjoyed the Maeve & Josh story but at times I have expressed it takes over the story. This book was just tripe about them & their feelings. Maeve has become a real pathetic whine bag of a character. She is so far removed from what she began as it’s quite tragic.
What happened to the crimes? The corruption? The mystery? There was a time I think the actual crime in this book was forgotten for many a chapter.
Don’t start me on the Melissa storyline, Stevie Wonder could have seen that play out the way it did. Is a woman faking domestic violence appropriate right now? I’m not sure. Personally I thought it was tasteless and absolutely pointless.
I hate to say it but it’s time for Maeve’s story to come to an end. This book was just silly and annoying to read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2025
It's no secret that Jane Casey, author of "The Secret Room", is a talented writer.
"The Secret Room" is Book #12 of the author's Maeve Kerrigan series.
Although it is a standalone read, reading earlier titles in this series before this release is highly recommended.
I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Caroline Lennon.
This book was very, very long. (416 pages, 14 hours long)
Maeve Kerrigan's detective work was impressive and brilliant.
I would have enjoyed the book more had the author primarily focused on Maeve Kerrigan's crime investigation instead of providing TMI about her love life.
4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 420 reviews