Keep No Secrets

by Julie Compton

After the ultimate betrayal, which is more trust or forgiveness?

In Keep No Secrets, the controversial follow-up to Compton's debut legal thriller Tell No Lies, a district attorney struggles to redeem himself after a one-night stand damaged his marriage and professional reputation.

After surviving the private and public fallout from a one-night stand four years before, St. Louis DA Jack Hilliard wants nothing more than to be trusted again by his wife, Claire, and to earn back the respect of the community he serves. Since the day Claire accepted him back into the family, he's vowed to be true to these goals, and so far he's succeeded.

But all of Jack's efforts begin to crumble when the woman involved in his earlier downfall, Jenny Dodson, returns to town claiming threats on her life and asking for his help, and resurrecting for Jack long-buried emotions and questions of her guilt for the murder of a client. Just when he thinks the pressure can't get any worse, his son's girlfriend, Celeste, accuses him of sexual assault, and he suddenly finds himself on the wrong end of a criminal case, battling for his freedom.

Can Jack trust his freedom to the legal system on which he built his career? Or will the ghost of his one-night stand four years before come back to haunt him, causing him to be convicted on the mistakes of his past?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Romance, Mystery Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Suspense

Audible Audio

First published March 10, 2013

About the author

Julie Compton is the internationally published author of TELL NO LIES, RESCUING OLIVIA, and the just-released KEEP NO SECRETS (a sequel to TELL NO LIES).

What reviewers say about TELL NO LIES:

"Compton's debut is a taut, tense cautionary tale complete with courtroom drama and a surprise ending." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Tell No Lies is "an absorbing account of an honourable man gradually yielding to multiple temptations," and "a strong debut from a writer who knows her law, and more importantly, can depict the ebb and flow of relationships, the conflict between love and desire and the irresistible urge to self-destruct of a 'man who has everything'." The Guardian (UK)

"Tell No Lies bears comparison to Turow's landmark 1987 debut, which has launched numerous imitations if few equals. The prose is solid, the plotting assured, and the characters believable. There's even a marvelous surprise ending." Fort Myers News-Press

"Compton proves she has real storytelling skills. Tell No Lies' final twist is as stunning as that classic surprise in Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"A real seat-edge thriller packed with the heady ingredients of power, passion, lies, lust and disaster." Peterborough Evening Telegraph (UK)

"A remarkably lucid writer . . . Verdict: Suspenseful and genuinely sexy." Orlando Magazine

"A promising debut." Booklist

"Readers will like this debut by a practicing attorney for its fluid prose and insight into the legal system." Library Journal

"Compton adds a very sexy pair of legs to Scott Turow legal thriller territory." Daily Mirror (UK)

Compton "does better in getting inside the mind of males than most male writers do in describing the thinking of females." St. Louis Post-Dispatch

What reviewers say about RESCUING OLIVIA:

"Compton's intense, entertaining second novel involves a horrifying coverup and a powerful new drug . . . [She] pulls off a super-satisfying resolution to this romantic thriller." Publishers Weekly

A "[m]odern-day fairy tale about a princely Florida lawn guy who must rescue his princess from a clutch of monsters. . . Compton burrows so deeply into Olivia's and Anders' troubled back stories and dramatizes in such psychologically compelling terms the swain's attempt to rescue his princess . . . that the result is a pleasing hybrid of fairy tale and contemporary thriller. . . [Her] increasingly pointed questions about what exactly it would mean to rescue Olivia make the journey worthwhile." Kirkus Reviews

"A page-turner." Booklist

"The intricate plot of this intense family drama unfolds layer by layer as a so-called accident forces two people to learn the harsh lesson that sometimes it's those closest to you that cause the most damage. Compton certainly knows how to spin an engrossing tale. Nothing is quite as it appears, which causes the suspense level to continually rise in anticipation of what's to come." RT Book Reviews

"Clearly over the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Rescuing Olivia is a terrific amateur sleuth thriller. . . Anders is a refreshing hero . . . His efforts to find and rescue Olivia make for a wonderful drama." Harriet Klausner

Reviews

[Sharan Chakravarathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoiler. I can't believe a woman wrote this.The cheating, and constant emotional adultery was too much for me. The author shouldn't have gone with the sequel. Even if the cheating was hard to accept in the first book, the reader felt somewhat mollified by Jack's comment that he would save Claire and let Jenny drown if it came to a choice between the two women. Throughout the second book, it's evident Claire realises Jenny still holds a powerful attraction for Jack, and her subsequent actions are wholly human. I can understand why she did what she did. The feeling of insecurity when you know deep in your heart that your husband loves someone else and will never be entirely hers, and the hurt and anger and jealousy that fact engenders in her, totally justify Claire's actions for me. When a fine, upstanding law professor (and wonderful mother and wife and we see evidence of this constantly) like Claire withholds the truth and compromises her own ethics, to me, it illustrates how much she wants her husband. How agonising the decision to withhold evidence must have been for her! In spite of all of Jack's protests that Claire will never fully trust him, we finally learn that Claire is entirely justified in her mistrust. Their marriage breaks down, and he's happily back with Jenny, which just goes to show how much he's lied about his feelings all along to Claire. What Claire did just gave Jack an out to get out of his marriage feeling justified about it, and in the end, Jack is happily contemplating having a baby with Jenny, when he has two kids with Claire whom he has hurt. Selfish bastard. To me, it's all about what started everything. Infidelity. Any action that follows, rational or otherwise, is a direct result of that and therefore can't be judged on its own merits.
I think I will only get closure from this disturbing book if the author plans a third in which Jack truly repents for the agony he and Jenny put Claire through, realises what a pearl he threw away, gets disillusioned and falls out of love with Jenny, and lives on his own. Claire doesn't need a jerk like him. What I really couldn't get past is the author painting Jenny as a compassionate woman who cared for Claire. No! She cared for Jack and his happiness only. In the end, we have Earl, Jack's brother all condoning his actions somehow, because Jack has apparently been lucky enough to have found an "emotional connection" with Jenny. That didn't happen overnight, those feelings developed over a period of time. When Jack realises he is starting to have feelings for Jenny, he should have cut it off right then and broken all contact with her. Sad, sad book. Claire is worth a hundred of Jenny.

[Hatice · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book itself was written well. However, as all writers know, or should know, is this: You don’t change the personality of your character and make them do something against their established character. Claire, after being shown to be kind, caring, ethical and principled, is how to commit one act in the end, which her law professor character would never have done. Even if as the wronged wife, Claire had committed this act, it is far less egregious in my opinion than what Jack and Jenny did. Claire was only made to do this, so the author could claim a plot “twist” to allow the ending to progress the way it did, artificially and with cruel malice towards the wronged wife.

Ms. Compton should have redeemed Jack and made him grovel to Claire and earn her forgiveness, not give his ultimate loyalty and love to Jenny. As for Jenny? Yeah, she sleeps with her friend, yet ultimately blames him for it, despite being flirtatious and coming onto him at every turn. Then, even after sleeping with him, and getting pregnant, she doesn’t tell him, but gives up the baby for adoption. Jack accepts all this, everything Jenny did without question, but refuses to believe that Claire, who had knowledge about Jenny’s innocence, would not have let her be tried and put in jail for the crime committed in the first book. A law professor, who had been shown to be highly principled and ethical and honest and one who loved her husband and children, one who had already accepted that her husband had cheated on her, we are now to believe would be so malicious as to let an innocent woman go to jail, because she desperately wanted her husband to stay with her. It’s a wonder Claire wasn’t made the killer of the first book to allow Jack and Jenny their HEA.

Compton savaged a good, decent character, to allow a twisted HEA for the jerk hero and irredeemable OW. Considering Jack didn’t himself immediately tell the police that he had been with Jenny when the murder was committed, he was a hypocrite in getting angry at Claire, because her father had had him followed and knew via private investigators that’s Jenny was innocent. As for Jenny having a baby and giving it up for adoption? Really? A lawyer, in her thirties can’t keep a baby born out of wedlock in the 21st century? And, that when she tells Jack what she did he immediately forgives her, and they have another child and he is so happy, because Jenny is his “soul mate,” despite Claire being his soul mate in Tell No Lies?

Again, writers shouldn’t prolong and twist and torture their endings or their characters, just to add angst and to add a plot twist. Should have stuck with ending in first book.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book, but I should have stopped there. I really recommend the first book if you like cheating/family drama (which I do), but don't ruin it for yourself by reading the second book after.

[Beth Evant · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to write this review because I did not like this book. I read the first book and gave it 2 stars. It was a painful read, but I made it through. I hated Jack and his mistress Jenny in the first book, BUT he did continue to say that he loved his wife and he was sorry and in the end they tried to work it out. They got back together. That is why I gave the first book 2 stars instead of 1. It was a painful story but the book felt complete to me in the end.

Keep No Secrets had me disgusted, and the characters didn't touch me. I did not like the characters at all.I read another review that took the words out of my mouth. How can this author give us an HEA in the first book and take it away in this one. WTF!!! Well, it was sort of an HEA. I stopped reading when I figured out some things so I skipped to the end and dammit, I was right. I wanted to throw up all over my bed. I absolutely hated the main character and his mistress. Everything that he did made me sick. He was so stupid and full of lust. If this is the way the male brain works, I do not want to allow my husband to ever leave the house again.

The second book seemed to be a contradiction to the first.All of a sudden his wife is the bad one. When in the first book we cried with her and felt her pain when she found out about his affair. It made no sense. I do not care what his wife did. If she would have let Jenny die in prison - so be it. All of this was Jack and Jenny's fault.

The author wants us to believe that Jack is an honorable man, but in my mind he is anything but. I was hoping that he would be convicted of the rape even though he didn't do it. I couldn't believe I was feeling that way. I wanted to see him suffer for what he did to his family. Everything is his fault but he came out clean and happy in the end. I hated that, thus, i did not like this book. Cheating is a hard limit for me. I am a married woman and this book upset me greatly. I know there are people out there like this, but I do not want to read about them and I do not want to be friends with them if I can help it - sorry.

If you like books about dumb cheating men and mistresses, this is the book for you. I wish I had not purchased this book. I deleted from my Kindle. I wonder if amazon will let me return it? I'm gonna give it a try. I will not purchase this author again.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, Keep No Secrets is a page turner that will capture readers from the beginning, whether or not one has read Tell No Lies! Keep No Secrets has strong characters developed throughout the novel. A reader might be surprised at how easily one might sympathize with each, especially with the choices each character must make. St. Louis DA Jack Hilliard, his family, his peers, his desire, and his accuser...all are intertwined with trust and with mistrust, with the legal system and with workarounds, with tolerance and with love. Hilliard's career and his family's fragile healing are at risk with an accusation made against him. All this, while he tries to rebuild the respect he lost when he made a choice four years ago. There are many perspectives that keep the reader engaged. As truth comes to light, there are details left undiscovered. Just when resolution seems to be at hand, Compton's plot unfolds, resolves, and unfolds again. Keep No Secrets is a fast paced character study that happens to have a couple mysteries in the mix. Compton just keeps getting better and better!

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will contain spoilers too....

I can't remember every being more pissed after finishing a book. You knew what was going to happen (even the big "reveal" at the end). HE ends up leaving her for TOW, regardless of whatever bullshit they try to get us to believe about him being a good guy, and people who are supposed to be her friends are going to rub her face in it because it will make her "stronger". Sorry, Jack is a selfish, self-important ass, Jenny is as well (in addition to being manipulative) and though Claire made mistakes and is not innocent, she gets dumped on and is supposed to thank them for it? I hope there is a book 3 and is starts with Jack and Jenny both get what is coming to them. I am thinking a nice horrific sexually transmitted disease and disbarment.

[Celia · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a horrible book! I put this author on a DNR list and am passing that list around to my friends.
This book needs to be rewritten. How could someone write such a sad horrible story?

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

WORST. DECISION. EVER.

KEEP NO SECRETS is an edge-of-your-seat, legal thriller with a little romance and a lot of mystery rolled into one very appealing package that is sure to appeal to a variety of readers.

I think it is safe to assume that everyone has made a decision at some point in life that you would love to be able to go back in time and do differently. As they say; “Hindsight is 20/20.” Decisions that are made everyday have the power to alter the course of the rest of your life. What if that decision involves telling a teensy, weensy, little white lie?

District Attorney, Jack Hilliard had a good life. He has a smart and beautiful wife, 2 wonderful children and a thriving career. Four years ago, when a one-night stand becomes public knowledge, he almost lost it all, but since that night, he has successfully repaired his reputation in the eye of the public. Although his wife has forgiven him, she has not forgotten about his indiscretion – I suppose that is something a spouse can never truly forget. Despite his marital blunder, Jack is inherently a good person and strives to “do the right thing,” but what happens when “the right thing” to do is not so black and white?

That was his life before the fateful night he made an emotional decision in an attempt to protect his son’s under aged girlfriend from the wrath of her own father. That was his life before that same under aged girlfriend accuses him of rape. That was his life before a series of “little white lies” were revealed and cast an ominous and dark shadow of doubt on his innocence. KEEP NO SECRETS kept me guessing from beginning to end and although I knew the truth, it was easy to pin Jack as “guilty” based on the information presented. Just as I thought that I had everything figured out, a new truth was revealed, successfully keeping my attention and leaving me feeling slightly off kilter throughout the entire novel.

KEEP NO SECRETS is an excellent reminder that no lie is a good lie. Ever. Even the most “innocent” lie told with the intention of protecting another has the potential to come back with a vengeance and wreck your life. You can bet your sweet ass that I will rethink telling even the most “innocent” little white lie in the future! If you have a penchant for mysteries and romance, then KEEP NO SECRETS might be the perfect book for you!

✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

**Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

______________________________________________________________________
If you like this type of book, you might enjoy one of these groups. Check us out!

Menage Readers

Erotic Enchants

Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group

[Patrice Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have completed Keep No Secrets by Julie Compton and I am so happy that I read this after reading Tell No Lies. Keep No Secrets follows it's predecessor four years later where once again, Jack Hilliard is embroiled in a scandal that could tear his life apart. In this novel, we've found that Jack has been trying to rebuild what was broken with his wife Claire and his family, after having an affair with his good friend Jenny Dobson. Throughout much of the novel the theme that he's paying for past sins is front and heavy especially since he's now being accused of raping his son's girlfriend, Celeste, who just happens to resemble Jenny. Although a little cliche and unnecessary, I understand it's use in order to be inflammatory during the whole fiasco.

What I liked most about this novel is that the characters are still well described and the writing is solid. I felt that Tell No Lies was a little slow whereas this one is explosive from the beginning. There's a lot more mystery and intrigue with this novel. Compton does a great job with maintaining interest and keeping her foot on the gas first with the actual accusation of rape, then later with the trial. The characters act in believeable ways and the conversation isn't stilted or out of place. Compton actually gets the reader to care about what happens to Jack because we all know that we would hate to have to be reminded of our mistakes day in day out for an undetermined amount of time.

What I did not like was the infamous moody teenager that seems to accompany many books. Is it just me or was the son Michael a complete douche? I understand why he's mad at Jack but there's still some level of respect he should be giving to his father. That's my only true gripe about this novel.

In conclusion, I think this was a great successor to Tell No Lies and I think readers would appreciate Keep No Secrets even more if they take the time to read it's predecessor. Knowing how the characters change and develop and getting closure to some of the things left open from Tell No Lies is also a plus. I want to imagine that Julie Compton will write a sequel to Keep No Secrets because I need her to. Seriously. I have to know what's next for our DA Jack Hilliard. The ending will justify my reasons why.

[Maxwell03 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I really enjoyed the first book, Tell No Lies, and couldn't turn the pages fast enough to learn the ramifications of Jack's behavior, I found this book to be contrived and predictable. I skimmed through much of the narrative, especially toward the end. Although I recognize that the big reveal about Claire was supposed to be shocking, it came out of nowhere given the description of her in the first book and appeared to be simply a device used to justify the ending. Perhaps if I hadn't read the first book, I would feel differently, but I was left with impression that the author pulled a fast one to get to an unrealistic ending. The moral high ground that Jack assumed when he learned the truth actually made me laugh out loud. With the exception of Mark and Jamie, there's not one likable character in this book. Three stars, however, for the multiple points of view.

[Critique de Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: The author is skilled, and has woven a complex story. I believed it, and reading this story stirred a lot of emotions.

What I didn’t like: These characters are horrible, horrible people, most especially including the protagonist. Before I was halfway through the book, I hated him, and I ended up hating him even more before the story ended. I hated him and his horrible girlfriend. Neither have any redeeming qualities, and in fact, their selfishness and irresponsibility and sociopathology destroyed their families’ lives. This story made me angry; I have met and heard about more than enough bad men, and bad women. I sure don’t want to read about them.

In sum: If you secretly root for the bad guys, this one’s for you.

[Emma Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent book from the start. The courtroom scenes remind me of John Grishem's writing. Definitely an author that I'd like to read more of. I'm sad that Jack and Clair's marriage didn't work out and I'm sad that Jack and Jenny decided to persue a relationship especially when Jack expressed the desire to have a little Jenny run around. He then made a discovery that only comes out near the last chapter or two. I'm sad that Michael, his son, and him didn't get along but also glad that he was prepared to help his father on the stand in court, and through trying to rescue Michael's girlfriend, they started to become a team for a short while. This book grabbed me from the word go and I couldn't stop reading It wanting to see what would happen at the end.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep No Secrets is the follow up novel to "Tell No Lies". This was a March,2013 release. The publisher is Fresh Fork Publishing.
I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

It's been four years since Jack put his family and career in jeopardy by having a one night stand with a colleague. Jenny has since disappeared and Jack believes she played him for a fool. Now he tries to put all that behind him and restore his marriage and family life. But, a string of events place all that in peril once again.
Jack's sixteen year old son, Michael has a new girlfriend. The girl, Celeste, bears a striking resemblance to Jenny. When Jack discovers Michael and Celeste have been drinking and fooling around, he volunteers to drive Celeste home since Michael can't drive because he is drunk.
Jack makes a series of mistakes at this point.
When Celeste come forward claiming Jack raped her, he is arrested. To make things one hundred percent worse, Jenny has resurfaced. She's been receiving threatening letters and wants Jack to help her get to the bottom of it.
Naturally, all this is just too much for Jack's wife, Claire. She has slowly regained some of her trust in Jack, but it was very, very, fragile. Now, all that anger, bitterness, and pain boils back to the surface. Not only that, Michael has never gotten over his dad's betrayal either. Now, he is torn between his girlfriend and his father. He is much more inclined to protect his girlfriend. As Jack tries to get to the truth behind what happened four years ago when Jenny was accused of murder, and the letters she has been getting, he is also trying desperately to tamp down on his feelings for Jenny. His marriage, no matter what he says or does is slowly deteriorating and his relationship with his son is also in danger of being lost for good. Jack also is trying to figure out if Celeste has been abused by her father and if that has anything to do with why she made the accusations against him. Something is wrong there and Michael isn't talking.

Even after four years, Jack is still being punished by Claire, Michael and even some of his colleagues over the affair he had with Jenny. When these new allegations surface, people jump to the conclusion that he is guilty. But, the worst part is that Claire and Michael might actually believe his had sex with a sixteen year old girl just because she happened to favor his old flame.
While he has several meetings with Jenny his feelings for her increase, but so do his doubts about her innocence. Can he trust her or not?

The suspense is just killer in this novel. We just know something is going on other than what we see on the surface and we have NO IDEA who is behind it or why. Is it Michael lashing out at his dad, is it Claire punishing Jack for his infidelity, or is it Jenny?
Jack's past mistake continues to haunt him as he tries to find out what the deal is with Celeste and keep from hurting Claire more than she already has been. His struggles are mighty. One on hand I felt sorry for Jack, because he knew he screwed up, but if a marriage is to survive an infidelity, the injured party really has to forgive, otherwise it's just not going to work. For Claire it seems that she just can not get past it. Jack is really twisted up inside over the damage he did to his family, but also mad at himself for falling into the trap Jenny allegedly set for him four years ago. Everything he has done since in regards to the situation with Celeste has been because he was trying to prevent further doubts for Claire. But, all that does is increase her suspicions.
But, to be fair to Claire, I don't know how I would feel in her position. I think the real problem was that both she and Jack knew deep down that Jenny was still buried in Jack's heart somewhere, even if he was in denial of it.
Jenny knows a lot more than she is telling Jack. We don't know if she is indeed a murderer or if there is another explanation. We don't know if she's up to something or if someone is putting the screws to her. The "will they or won't they" drama was also nearly unbearable.
Will Jack be convicted of rape or will the truth behind Celeste's accusation reveal itself before it's too late?
Will Jack and Claire survive this latest round of doubt and suspicion?

I will suggest that you read the first book before reading this one. I did not read the first one and the author does a great of job of catching us up without rehashing the whole first novel. But, when I finished this book, I wish I had read them in order. However, this one can more definitely be read as a stand alone. You will get the premise of the first novel with no problems.
This was the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last.
A very taut legal thriller, mystery, psychological thriller with a great deal of emotional drama .
The author does a great job of presenting both sides of the marital situation, and leaves it entirely up to the reader to draw their own conclusions about the situation once all is finally revealed. There were still a few unexpected big reveals toward the end that I didn't see coming. Although bittersweet in a way, I was happy about the ending and how everything turned out. Over all I give this one an A.

[Word ~Heather Halloran · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3 Stars* I received an arc of this story in exchange of an honest review*
Keep No Secrets kept me on the edge of my seat for a good portion of the story! It was much different from my typical read, complete mystery, where you of course don’t know who to trust, and as soon as you think you have it figured out, BAM! There’s another twist. And this happened more than once. I love the twists. I’ve never been one to need the knight in shining armor or the happily ever after. Real-life is more my style, I enjoy not knowing who the bag guy really is, it makes you question everything!

Prosecutor Jack Hilliard has betrayed his wife in the worst possible way, he had an affair with Jenny, a gorgeous attorney and has been trying to make it right with his wife, Claire, and son Michael, ever since. Michael has been the least forgiving, he more or less hates the man that is his father. He has started dating Celeste, Jenny’s doppelgänger. After catching his son and Celeste drinking and in a compromising situation, Jack decides to drive the girl home, alone. Big mistake. He wakes up the next morning to rape allegations and a whole lot of explaining to do. Who’s going to believe the man that already cheated once?

In the words of Claire, "Have you learned nothing?"

The whole story is told in just a way that you have no idea what the truth is. It barely skirts the truth. We are left guessing and have to come to our own conclusions every page.

The lies aren’t what he says; they’re what he doesn’t say.

But then… you find out the truth, and it hits you. Nothing you thought is even nearly true! And then, just when you think the secrets are done, there’s a whole nother layer!

I found Keep No Secrets very interesting; it was a nice break from the typical romance I read. The writing itself was good, but it got to be long and drawn out in parts. More needed to be revealed to keep my attention the entire time. The secrets were big, and they were great secrets, I just needed them to reveal a bit quicker. I recommend this novel to mystery lovers, and those needing a fresh take on a cheating/rape scandal.

Full review at: http://wordxblog.com/?p=367

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

St. Louis DA Jack Hilliard messed up BIG TIME when an ‘indiscretion’ with another woman cost him the trust of his wife, his family and the public he serves. He has fought hard to regain what he had, and suddenly, four years later, ‘the other woman’ comes back into his life, begging for his help. To make things worse, his sixteen year old son’s girlfriend is accusing him of sexually assaulting her. Is history going to repeat itself? Will he lose everything, again? Who will believe he is innocent? When Jack finds himself charged with sexual assault, he is in a battle for more than his freedom.

Powerful and tense pretty much describes Keep No Secrets by Julie Compton. Her clean writing style has created a realistic and frightening scenario that will keep you glued to each word as once again, Jack is under the public eye and looking bad.

A Review copy was provided by NetGalley and Fresh Fork Publishing in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: March 15, 2013

For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner

Intense emotional Story. I am from St.Louis so I noticed a few inconsistencies with drive times to Jefferson City and no one calls the Riverfont the Mississippi Riverfront.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Claire. She couldn't forgive Jack because she new he that he loved another women. That made her bitter and vindictive.
They could have saved themselves Alot of pain by addressing that after the affair.
I don't think Jenny and Jack should have gotten their Happy ending.

[Bruna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish i could give half a star for this book and thats only for the writing skills.This book not only gave a happy ending to an adulterer and a liar who did nothing to understand the insecurities of his broken hearted wife or his family but the author also horribly ignored the wife s pov after the devastation that wrecked her life by giving a happily ever after for the douchebag at the end ..!!!unbelievable!!!

[Tahseen Faruqi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally stupid
The hero is a prick and the woman he winds up with is a cheating ho . Doesn’t this author know that this story is completely BS and her readers hate Jack and his ho . Cheaters are not good people hello ? Where is the justice for Clare . Do not read . Nobody likes it when the betrayed wife is just screwed

[Nerissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

WTF???! This pisses me off no end. He the dirty cheating c$&&$ ends up with the disgusting deviant whore?

Yeah great book.

Not

[Francois Bruyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now this is a book that needs a negative rating.

[Hyslee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I HATE HATE HATE IT ! Please stick to Part one of this book. If you love the Hero HEA with OW this is definitely for you

[Karen San Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I want to highlight a few points regarding the weaknesses of this novel. Some people may find it:

1. Boring.Unlike your Patterson or Deaver suspense, this book has no killer on the loose, the implications being that there's no running out of time feeling throughout and there's no urgent need to know what's going on.
2. Uninteresting.This is commonly the issue. Why - this novel is a sequel to Tell No Lies and therefore, you have to have connected with the characters on the first book in order to find this one interesting. As for those who haven't read Tell No Lies yet, this may or may not interest you. It's up to you if you like the characters from the start of the novel and hence, care for them.
3. Really bad as in evil.There are things in this novel that strongly contradict a person's moral and religious views in life. There are things (and/or characters) here that some may have liked in the first book and then suddenly the tables turn and they're not so likable at all in the second (and vice versa).
4. Unsurprising.By this, I'm talking about the ending. Some may not find it surprising (it's a really brave ending) because you may see that the characters had it coming, even from the first book.

Since I kept mentioning Tell No Lies, let me first assure you that it's not a prerequisite, not really. There is enough back story here that will let you in on the events from the first book. That being said, you can read it as a stand-alone. Though if you ask me, I strongly recommend that you read Tell No Lies first before moving to this one. It's really good and there's a big chance you may really, really like this book after reading it.

Keep No Secrets by Julie Compton

Jack Hilliard, St. Louis DA, faces a new predicament. Four years after he made the biggest mistake in his life, his son's girlfriend accuses him of sexual assault. As if things aren't already bad, Jenny Dodson, the other woman, comes back in town seeking Jack's help after receiving threatening letters. Now, his career, his marriage and his family are at stake once again. His son's girlfriend, his son Michael, Jenny, and even his wife Claire are keeping secrets from him. Will Jack be able to save himself and his family this time?

I read it in one and a half day straight. I could have finished it in one sitting, I am sure, but my mom wouldn't have liked that, I am also sure. Whenever I put the book away and did something else (e.g. my Speech Com homework), I had difficulty keeping my head together, I kept coming back to St. Louis and to Jenny's suitcase. Like in Tell No Lies, the grip Julie Compton put in this is emotional. She went to war with emotions as her weapon, not guns and psychopaths. This is actually very difficult for an author to accomplish, it requires not only great knowledge of human emotions and behavior but also great skill and talent. This was not a problem. The words she used and the style of writing were excellent. I have no problem with the present tense as others have complained, not with the changing points of view. If at all, the style added to the intensity and the impact of the novel to the readers. That's what made this book controversial: its impact to the readers.

Characters

Jack Hilliard is the St. Louis District Attorney. He is a family man who loves his wife and his two sons and his city. He loves the law and respects and fights for justice. This was all easy for me to believe . Jack did not emerge from the rocks. He was created with such certainty and skill that no other author than Ms. Compton could have created. She made certain her readers knew who Jack was. He is handsome, intelligent, respectful and honorable, but he also makes a lot of mistakes. His mistakes are also the worst mistakes a man like him could ever make. His thoughts aren't always pure and he makes stupid actions sometimes. In the end, I completely understood his actions and decisions, and all of that just made me respect him more.

Claire Hilliard is Jack's wife. I really liked her from Tell No Lies. Her magnificence and her grace under pressure are very admirable. She fights to keep her family together and I loved that about her. We witnessed her pain and cried with her in the first book. Here, you have to witness for yourself how the slow change takes place, how she slowly crumbles underneath her famous grace. The other readers, as I've read from the reviews were devastated by this transformation. For me though, it was not very surprising. She grows into a cold and bitter wife within four years after she accepted Jack back into their home. Let Ms. Compton guide you through this transformation, and you will understand.

Jenny Dodson. You are still my favorite character. She is the other woman from the past. Let me provide a little back story which may be a spoiler for those who skipped Tell No Lies. Four years ago, she and Jack had had a one night stand on the same night her client was murdered. She becomes the primary suspect for this murder and Jack is her alibi. She refused to let him testify but Jack still did, and soon after, the charges against her were dropped and her ex-boyfriend was sent to the death row. However, all this changes when Jack learns in the end that the murdered client was Jenny's father's mistress, the one who caused the murder of her parents and 6-year-old sister. This instills a huge doubt in him about Jenny's innocence, especially since she ran away right after the charges were dropped. Here, Jenny comes back and seeks Jack's help. She has been receiving threatening letters which she assumed came from the people who killed her parents and sister. You will probably see her as a manipulative B (which she is!!) but that's okay. Her enigma makes this novel a whole lot interesting.

Michael is Jack's son. He is now 16 years old, and he has grown to despise his father. He was 12 at the time of the scandal, but he understood what was happening and like any other person at the same age in the same situation, he sided with his mother. His behavior towards Jack is really hostile, but I understood its significance. Hello, almost every teenager acts this way now, especially if they know their fathers are not going to hit them or anything. He also has secrets he keeps from his mom and dad.

Celeste Del Toro the damned girl. She is Michael's girlfriend who accuses Jack of rape. Four rape charges mind you. She is a dead ringer for Jenny, so everybody thinks the rape is possible. So we already know she's lying but in order for Jack to escape this problem, he has to know what motivated her.

The story

The story broke my heart on many occasions. The nostalgic tone from the beginning broke my heart. Claire broke my heart. Jenny broke me down worst. In spite of this, the story also instilled something in me, something I may not be able to understand yet, but I believe I will soon. The conflicts thrown in together make a really good match and can make readers go all psychological, if you know what I mean. Secrets may or may not be lies, and I like how Ms. Compton was able to bring this thought to life.

The author originally intended Tell No Lies to be stand-alone. Keep No Secrets was a decision made after the publication and public reception of the first. There had been a popular demand for a sequel, so Ms. Compton said in one of her interviews that the second novel was not a present idea while she was making the first. The thing is, while reading KNS, I couldn't help admiring the author. If you are aware of the Saw movies, how one story connects to another so naturally you'd wonder why you hadn't thought about it in the first place, that's exactly how I felt about reading this. It seems KNS had been planned when it wasn't. I mean, here, Ms. Compton was able to explain the whys and hows behind the actions of the characters in TNL and fit them right into the what's going on in KNS like they're really meant to be that way. It's fantastic. So here I was able to grasp the full meaning of TNL as well as the real colors of the characters. I can't explain in enough words how crazy I am about these books.

Talk about the plot itself. The pacing is breath-taking. Some said it was slow, but I advise you decide for yourselves. Every chapter consisted of problems and lies and secrets, so I had no problem with being overly burrowed into the story. If at all, I preferred it to be longer. I simply wanted more!

The grip on readers

As I mentioned, Ms. Compton used emotional appeal, like she did in TNL. She made use of her characters and let them lead the way. I felt for them, all of them. I fell even more in love with Jack. Claire had me on the edge of my seat. Of course, Jenny broke my heart. Here, you also get to hear all sides of the story. It is not only Jack's point of view; we also get to know what Jenny's thinking, what Claire's thinking, and isn't that interesting? You get to choose which side you're on. The author does not choose for you, and that spins the dial.

Conflicts

The conflicts are numerous. First, we have Celeste and the rape charges. This sets the plot in motion, though I admit the secondary conflicts are more powerful. Namely, Jenny's return. She was the bulldozer in the room. She comes back in town claiming threats on her life and seeking Jack's help, but given that, she still keeps secrets from him. Did she murder Maxine Shepard? Are the threats on her life real or is there a different agenda to her comeback? If there is, what is it? Can Jack trust her? Also, we get upset with Claire so much for leaving Jack in the midst of his predicaments. Will their marriage survive through this? With the rape charges? With Jenny back in town? While even she doubts his innocence? Can she trust Jack? Can she forgive him? What secrets does she know?

And the ultimate question: How does this end?

Highlights

Jack tells Claire that Jenny is back, to prove to her that she can trust him again. She lets him help her. Then the rape charges emerge and he and his family are once again in the center of the stage. While trying to defend himself, he tries to help Jenny and the attraction is there. You will wonder how much he can restrain, how he can keep his faith to Claire if his emotions refuse to help him. And then you'll get to know Jenny's side. But then you aren't sure if the author is playing with your mind or if Jenny indeed thinks that, feels that. For me, this guessing game is very powerful and it kept me in the dark until past the middle part of the novel.

Like the other readers, I enjoyed the court scenes immensely. As in TNL, it's easy to get the processes and the events though you have very little knowledge of the subject. When it's Claire's turn to be on the stand, you'd have to hold your breath. However, I kept thinking, we haven't seen Jack in action, have we? I wanted to but it never came to that, he's the defendant this time and Earl is his lawyer. Earl, on the other hand, is astonishing.

Slowly as the novel unfolds, I get to see the transformation of their marriage. This saddened me infinitely, but I was also relieved, I admit. I really felt for Claire. Their life together had been more than perfect before Jenny arrived in their lives. Jack had always loved her and cherished her. I understand completely how the one night stand ruined their lives. If you were Claire, it would really be hard to forgive your husband. Especially when she explained it on trial, that Jack is an idealist and he always tries to do what's right. The lawyer asked her why he had an affair if he was an idealist the way Claire explained. Then she answered ever so simply, that there was no other motivation to do it than love. This scene broke my heart. This is the reason why she can't forgive Jack - knowing he did what he did because he had fallen in love with another woman. How can you keep up with that? It's simply inconceivable.

I also understand why other people might really despise this novel. As I mentioned above, some people may find Keep No Secrets really bad, as in evil. Ms. Compton crossed lines here; she made really brave decisions on how to spin this novel and gamble whether or not the readers would like what she did. This is also the same reason why this novel bore a deep hole in me. I like the boldness of how the story unfolded, I really, really, really like the ending.

As usual, I will give really good scenes from the novel that may interest you :)

"Am I sitting across from a murderer? Did you murder Maxine Shepard?"

This confrontation is very sad and heart-wrenching.

"Haven't you realized yet? There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

This one is really fun. Butterflies all over my guts while reading this part.

"I'll come in this time."

He arrives at her door the night before Christmas after an argument with Claire. He did nothing but sleep for nineteen hours straight and Jenny did nothing but watch him.

"If I'd closed your door," she says, her voice halting, "I wouldn't have met you. And I wanted to meet you."

They were talking about the first time they met.

This one gave me a strong bittersweet feeling. The trial, when Michael was on the stand to testify for the prosecution. The prosecutor asked him if he thought Celeste's story was true, everybody is on the edge of their seats. Michael hates his father. He loves his girlfriend. Then, he says:

"No, sir. I am one hundred percent certain my dad didn't rape Celeste."

"Tell me why, Jen. What are you so sorry about? Why don't you want me to know what's inside?"
She hesitates. "Because what's inside that envelope is going to break your heart."

Indeed. And what came after is one of the strongest scenes in the book.

"Yes. Yes. I've admitted that a million times. And you'll never let me forget it, will you? But you know what? The motivation was different. It was wrong, yes. It was so, so wrong. But we did it because of our feelings for each other, not to hurt you. Can you say the same for what you've done?"

The confrontation between husband and wife. I LOOOVED it.

And of course, the ultimate admission comes from Claire during the trial. The prosecutor asked her why did she think Jack committed adultery, knowing it was wrong. She had answered in her famous calm:

"Based upon everything I know about Jack Hilliard, only one thing could have compelled him to do what he did."
Holding its collective breath, the courtroom waits. Jack stares at the blank lines of his legal pad. He knows what she's about to say, and he can't bear to look at her as she says it.
"Love."

Okay so my review is going to be a novel. Right, let me end with a few promises. First, if you like the characters, you will understand completely the why behind the turn of events. If you are unbiased about marriage issues, you may even love the way it ended. Put aside your stereotypes, just like I did, and I praised Julie Compton for convincing me so effectively with her words and characters. Second, if you liked Tell No Lies, you may or may not like this one, that merely depends on whether or not you like the particular characters involved. More likely, you will like it. Third, there are only two sides here, and you have to choose which side you're on. Then you decide if you like the ending or not. I chose a side, and now, I can't get over the way it ended. It was, to summarize in one word, beautiful. It was bold, it was brave, and Ms. Compton earned my highest respect for ending it this way.

It is a story of life, marriage, love, family and justice. It shows how one can do a mistake and still be righteous. How a simple mistake can ruin a family and other lives. A story of trust and betrayal, and how one wrong decision can alter lives forever. A story of lies and secrets, and how they can ruin a man completely. A story of justice and innocence, how sometimes one can't win over the other. And most of all, it is a tale of love and broken hearts, when to fight for it and when to finally let go.

One of the most beautiful novels I have ever read in my 17 years. Thank God I found these books. So, yeah! Highly, highly, highly recommended!

[wrkatreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Ok 3 stars for keeping me up all night but I HATED the ending.
Book one was interesting and I really wanted to read this to get to the conclusion. But I didn’t like the ending. Actually I have come back to edit this review and there will be spoilers. The author tried to make us like and feel bad for the OW it didn’t work. We learn this man abides and upholds the law and hopes he will do good things being the DA. His good friend from book 1 who helps him get elected to the position and who everyone even his FIL thinks he is having a relationship. Yes that’s the start from book 1. Then this conclusion. Ugh There needs to be a novella. How are the Hs kids going to live with this. Just NO

If you love a cheating H and OW who at the very end of the book becomes the h then this is for you

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to figure out why I got so into this book, and then I had an epiphany – it's like a super exciting and stretched out episode of Law and Order IN BOOK FORM. And I do love me a bit of L and O.

The story

Jack Hilliard, District Attorney, is getting his marriage back together, after one mistake four years ago almost cost him everything. His wife, Claire, has been trying to forgive him for his night of indiscretion with their friend and co-worker, Jenny Dodson. After being cleared of a murder charge, Jenny disappeared, giving Jack and Claire the opportunity to get their life back together. Jack's youngest son, Jamie, loves his father. But his eldest, Michael, still hasn't forgiven Jack for his indiscretion. And Michael seems to be expressing his displeasure by dating a girl who looks just like Jenny Dodson.

One night Jack stumbles upon the kids, drunk and fooling around in the lounge-room late at night. He drives Michael's girlfriend Celeste home, but opts not to tell her incredibly strict father she was drinking, out of a sense of sympathy. He also senses that Celeste has been abused, but when he confronts Michael about it Michael denies it. Jack feels like he did the right thing, and won back some of Michael's love at the same time.

And then, all hell breaks loose. Celeste claims that Jack raped her on the drive home, and the circumstantial evidence against him is mounting. She won't back down, and Claire and Michael look at Jack like just maybe, they don't believe him any more. People start muttering that he should step down from his job, he's hounded by the press, and to top it all off, Jenny comes back into town and he isn't satisfied about her explanation why.

Can Jack clear his name, save his marriage, and regain the respect of his eldest son? Or, because of his past mistake, has everything gone too far for redemption?

The style

Tell No Secrets is racy and well paced, and there's a lot of it. So there's quite a few of twists and turns in the plot line, and frankly, I was pretty well addicted after the first chapter. It's the second book I've read about a DA instead of a police officer in the last week, so I'm wondering if DA's are the latest craze in crime fiction. Not that it isn't an interesting new take on reading crime. Tell No Secrets combined action and emotion, so the reader doesn't just read what's happening, but also reads a lot of feelings, some fights, some inter-familial interaction. Obviously the plot accentuates emotional elements in the family; you don't have a rocky marriage in the plot if you aren't going to make a meal of it. But it's one of the things that keeps the reader engaged. I WANTED to know if Jack could be proven innocent and I WANTED his son to like him and I WANTED him and his wife to resolve their issues. It just added another element to the reading.

Tell No Secrets is written in the third person limited, mainly following Jack, but occasionally flicking to another character while not giving anything away. Like the thing was basically written to be a movie. Which it could be. I have two complaints about the actual writing; firstly, it was written in the present tense. Sort of. I say sort of because yes, it was in the present tense, aside from when it wasn't, ie, when there was some explanation of back story happening. Which was a LOT. And that meant that it felt as though the tense was constantly changing. And even though it was written in a manner that was completely technically correct with regard to tense, it was also incredibly jolting to me. Every time it switched to present (because we're so used to reading in past) I got pulled out of the reading experience, and I would have preferred not to, because I was totally getting lost in the book up till that point. I agree, present tense makes everything feel more immediate, but if you have to delve into a lot of past tense then probably just bite the bullet and go past all the way. My second complaint would be that for the most part I found the dialogue good, but there were moments where I found it a little constrained. I have never heard an actually person use the word 'simply' in speech, ie, “I was simply looking to see if it was in my shoe.” But simply made some regular appearances. You know what? It could be an Australian thing. Just because we don't say it doesn't mean it doesn't happen in the states. So I could just be being picky. But these two things stood out for me.

They didn't stand out enough to stop me reading or anything though! Also, kudos to Compton for making some tough choices with the ending of Keep No Secrets, and keeping the plot heavy on twisty suspense the whole time. I liked where it went and how it ended.

Who is this book for?

If I could have taken this book on holiday, I would have. I can actually picture reading it by a pool, in nice long stretches where I'm not going to be disturbed. Just because I don't get a holiday till June doesn't mean you guys should feel bad about hopping on a plane with it. I'll just stew in jealousy over here. This is the very picture of escapist holiday reading.

If you like this book, you would also like...

Seriously, take your pick. Go to Crime Fiction and read anything over a seven.

[Bloody Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars read for me.

Story flowed perfectly, I liked the unexpected twists, I liked the realistic portrayal of the characters, I liked the multiple POVs. Still -- there were two things that kept confusing me ( possible spoilers ahead ).

First one - the description of Jack's feelings for Claire & Jenny. I understand that the author tried to portray Jack & Jenny's love as... fate, soul-mates, kismet. I also understand that she tried to give us the grey portrayal of every character's feelings, not your typical black and white portrayal you usually have in stories like this. However... I think author got lost a little bit. The book kept confusing me because I didn't know what to think about Jack's marriage and feelings for Claire and what to think about Jack's relationship and feelings for Jenny. Jenny is supposed to be Jack's One & Only, she is supposed to be his true love, he is in love with her. Yet, there are many scenes where Jack talks about affection, attraction, love he has for Claire... there are scenes where Claire calms him, gives him peace, turns him on... in Tell No Lies he goes as far as to imply that everything he now feels for Jenny, he had already felt for Claire and that ruined my soul-mates, One & Only vision... It had left me feeling that Jack's love for Jenny wasn't special at all, but it was NEW so it felt special. In Keep No Secrets, I read some scenes and figure that Jack's love for Claire is merely care, companionship kind of love, out-of-guilt kind of love and then the author would give us another scene with Jack's romantic feelings for Claire still existing somewhere... and I understand that it vanished completely until the end but I wanted Jack to actually acknowledge it. He never once acknowledged the fact that he somewhere along the way, stopped loving Claire like a woman and the author makes the entire situation even more confusing with tender and kind scenes with Claire. If there will be another sequel... a 3rd book, I assume he'll finally admit it but I was honestly hoping it will happen sooner. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the only difference in "love" Jack feels for Claire & Jenny is passion -- it is present HEAVILY in his feelings for Jenny but somewhat absent in his feelings for Claire.

Second thing that bothered me - we never got to understand why Jack fell in love with Jenny. I don't believe you can fall in love with someone else while being blissfully and trully happy in your relationship -- so I waited to find out what was lacking in Jack's marriage with Claire that allowed him to fall for another woman. Clearly, Jack connected with Jenny on levels he couldn't with Claire but I wanted to know more about WHAT exactly made him love Jenny more than Claire. The way Claire & Jack handled their marriage reconciliation was the only thing in this book that wasn't realistic, in my opinion. I disliked that at the end of Tell No Lies, too -- they basically didn't work on their marriage at all, never talked about Jenny and his feelings for Jenny, never talked about WHY it happened, never seeked any professional counseling (if they did & I missed that part in the book, my apologies)... translation = they did nothing but acted like the entire infidelity never, ever happened. The entire situation was even worse because the infidelity lasted for almost a decade in a form of an emotional affair. That's what I found a little unrealistic... the 1st question folks ask when they get cheated on is - WHY? - so they can know the reason and go from there, go from fixing what was already broken and resulted in infidelity... seeing how Claire never asked Jack that question, I can only assume that they never truly worked on their marriage. Then again... the way Claire was portrayed and the way Jack couldn't be honest to save his life -- I understand why they never worked on it.

If the book had only one scene where Jack allowed himself to be honest with his feelings & relationship with Claire -- it would've been perfect. I know the author kind of left it to a reader to read between the lines & figure it out... but I really wanted at least a sentence from Jack, admitting straight up that he doesn't love Claire the way he loves Jenny, that his feelings & connection with Jenny are far more stronger than anything he ever felt for Claire. It is obvious in the ending - all he feels for Claire is sadness, but like I said... I wanted a straight up confession.

BUT, overall - great read, I recommend.

[Amy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow! this book was good, but to top it off the author has added twists in the right time just to keep you interested. there is not a cliff hanger in the ending, but the ending will blow your mind like if there was one!


i got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. i am glad that i read this book. i have been on a mystery, thriller kick lately and found this on my kindle waiting its wonderful review!

i have to say i didn't know there was a book before, so i was a little lost at first, but the author gives you just enough information that you wouldn't have to read the first book. if you get the change make sure you do!

jack he is a DA for his town, a wonderful husband, and a father to 2 kids. jack has a past. right when he first got elected to be the town's district attorney he was caught cheating on his wife with his co worker named jenny. jenny is a well known friend of the family so it was heart-breaking when everyone found out about the affair. Jenny right after the affair was arrested and charged with murder. (wow! didn't think that would happen!) jack was her alibi and was dropped of the charges, but since he was her alibi for that night the world found out about the affair. well, 4 years went by and jack hasn't spoken to jenny at all. he did everything he could to make his job better and also his marriage with his wife. things were starting to get better when all of a sudden jenny appears at his wife's college to say that she was in trouble.

jack's son micheal is 16. He has a girlfriend named Celeste. she has her own secrets that you will learn while you read this book. jack woke up early one night because he heard numerous kids downstairs. looking at the clock it was after 1am and knew for a fact there shouldn't be anyone downstairs. trying to figure out what was going on jack found out that his 16 year old son was having sex on his couch. jack make himself known and tells them to get dressed before he comes downstairs. not trying to get mad jack realizes that both his son and his son's girlfriend have been drinking. he told celeste that he is going to take her home and tell her father what she has been up to. celeste freaks out and starts crying saying to jack that he has no idea what will happen to her if he tell her dad. jack thinks that celeste dad is abusing her so he offers to not tell her father. he even pulls over in the car so that she can sober up. this decision will change is life forever.
the very next day police swarm his office, home, and micheals school to investagte a issue that was reported. celeste told police that jack raped her that night when he drove her home. now, jack has to deal with the press again after 4 years of dealing with a mistake, but this time he is innocent. while trying to get himself not sent to prison jenny continues to contact jack and saying that her life is threaten and jack is trying to figure out who is sending jenny these notes. in the long while jenny's ex boyfriend was charged with the murder and is waiting death row.
news reports that he got granted a new trial and police are looking for jenny. jack is hinding her and also trying not to get himself arrested for the second time that month.
will jack be found innocent of this rape charge and be cleared as a good man or will he lose his job and making a decison to help his son and his son's girlfriend ruin him forever.
here is the twist. what will happen with jenny and this threatening letters?

you will have to read and find out. there is a lot going on at one time so you have to keep attention to the book or you will become lost, but it is worth it with all the suspense and twists added in along the way.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had everything I expected and more. Mystery. Lies. Betrayal. Love. Family. The author's words sucked me into the story as if I were seeing it all played out through a close friend's life.

Right away the reader relates to the characters. As a woman I NEVER thought I would have any sympathy for a man that cheated on his wife. I always assumed I would HATE him. While I don't excuse Jack's actions or think there was any justification for them, I never hated him. Sure, I was angry with him. Upset, hurt even. But never hate.

With the same token I ALWAYS thought I'd hate the "Other Woman". She was a home-wrecker. A slut. But Jenny was so much more than that. While I was mad at some of her obvious manipulation tactics, I felt sorry for her. It was obvious she really did love Jack. It was also obvious she was (for the most part) willing to sacrifice her own happiness so that he would have a real chance at mending his marriage.

The courtroom scenes were my favorite part. From the moment they started I couldn't put the book down. I felt like I was a part of the jury as I began to question everything I THOUGHT I knew about the story. As if every conversation I'd heard or character's thought I had insight to was merely hearsay. I loved how things were kept hidden from the reader until the evidence was presented in court.

However, I didn't care for the son's girlfriend. While the reader doesn't ever question that the girl has been abused by SOMEBODY, there were too many things that seemed too planned out by her to have been simply a panicked teenager reacting to fear. She came off as very manipulative. I just didn't buy that it was all because of the terror she had if she'd told the truth.

My only real complaint with the book was the ended. Not so much that the couple ends up getting a divorce, I kind of expected that. This book was too "REAL" to have a phony happily ever after marriage. That being said, I thought Jack and Jenny working together was a little too phony as well. There's no way that would have happened. They're both smart enough to know better than to open that can of worms. Heck, Earl is smarted than that.

Wanting his partner to be happy? Sure. Even hooking the two of them up. But suggesting they both work at his new company? No smart businessman would bring that kind of drama into the office. I just don't buy that. As far as their secret "love child", I didn't think it was necessary. You could have cut out any scene in the book that had to do with that and it would have been just as good if not better.

Overall, I LOVED the author's style of writing and her ability to suck the reader in and make them a part of the story. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more Julie Compton books that come out in the future.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Claire Hilliard have spent the past four years of their lives portraying a couple rebuilding their marriage. Jack has presumed that his wife has forgiven him and is slowly regaining her trust in him, but that illusion is quickly shattered when he is accused of sexually molesting their son's girlfriend, Celeste. It doesn't help matters much that the woman he had an affair with four years earlier has returned to town. Their lives were placed in a media fish bowl four years earlier when he had to publicly admit to committing adultery and providing an alibi for a woman accused of murder. That event pales in comparison to what is happening now. Is it possible for their family to recover from this false accusation? Will Jack ever regain the trust of his wife or son in light of these allegations?

Jack Hilliard is the primary focus of Keep No Secrets. His life -- personal and professional -- is pulled in different directions as he tries to prove his innocence publicly and privately, regain the trust of his wife and son, and help his former lover (Jennifer) without betraying his wife's forgiveness. Jack is truly a victim. He is a victim of the allegations from his son's girlfriend. He is a victim of his wife's trust issues. He is a victim of his emotions as he strives to help his lover without betraying his wife's trust. And he is a victim of his father-in-law's machinations. Through it all Jack strives to take the high road, believing that the system will work and prove his innocence. He is diligent in his efforts not to betray Claire's trust while he helps Jennifer.

I initially found Keep No Secrets to be a little slow, but it quickly picked up after only a few chapters. I found myself rooting for Jack and hoping things would work out in his favor. Even though I felt Claire was just as much a victim of circumstance as Jack, I didn't like her much. I didn't really like Jack's ex-lover Jenny Dodson much either. I thought they were both manipulative. The action and storylines were a bit convoluted at times but it all made perfect sense in the end. The end is a bit of a surprise on a variety of levels (no I'm not going to reveal the ending . . . read it for yourself). Keep No Secrets is filled with teenage angst, family drama, legal drama, sexual molestation/abuse, and passion; not just passion between a man and a woman, but one man's passion to do the right thing at all costs. If you enjoy legal thrillers with a hint of mystery and suspense then you definitely want to add Keep No Secrets to your to-be-read list. The only reason I put this book down and didn't complete it in one sitting was due to a severe migraine. I enjoyed Keep No Secrets so much I've added Tell No Lies to my TBR list (something tells me I'll read Tell No Lies and then re-read Keep No Secrets).

[Gai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Be warned! Major Spoilers ahead. I can't believe a woman wrote this.The cheating, and constant emotional adultery was too much for me. The author shouldn't have gone with the sequel. Even if the cheating was hard to accept in the first book, the reader felt somewhat mollified by Jack's comment that he would save Claire and let Jenny drown if it came to a choice between the two women. Throughout the second book, it's evident Claire realises Jenny still holds a powerful attraction for Jack, and her subsequent actions are wholly human. I can understand why she did what she did. The feeling of insecurity when she knows deep in her heart that her husband loves someone else and will never be entirely hers, and the hurt and anger and jealousy that fact engenders in her, totally justify Claire's actions for me. When a fine, upstanding law professor (and wonderful mother and wife and we see evidence of this constantly) like Claire withholds the truth and compromises her own ethics, to me, it illustrates how much she wants her husband. How agonising the decision to withhold evidence must have been for her! In spite of all of Jack's protests that Claire will never fully trust him, we finally learn that Claire is entirely justified in her mistrust. Their marriage breaks down, and soon he's happily back with Jenny, which just goes to show how much he's lied about his feelings all along to Claire, and himself. What Claire did just gave Jack an out to get out of his marriage feeling justified about it, and in the end, Jack is happily contemplating having a baby with Jenny, when he has two kids with Claire whom he has hurt. Selfish bastard. To me, it's all about what started everything. Infidelity. Any action that follows, rational or otherwise, is a direct result of that and therefore can't be judged on its own merits.
I think I will only get closure from this disturbing book if the author plans a third in which Jack truly repents for the agony he and Jenny put Claire through, realises what a pearl he threw away, gets disillusioned and falls out of love with Jenny, and lives on his own. Claire doesn't need a jerk like him. What I really couldn't get past is the author painting Jenny as a victim and a compassionate woman who cared for Claire. No! She cared for Jack and his happiness only. In the end, we have Earl, Jack's brother all condoning his actions somehow, because Jack has apparently been lucky enough to have found an "emotional connection" with Jenny. That didn't happen overnight, those feelings developed over a period of time. When Jack realises he is starting to have feelings for Jenny, he should have cut it off right then and broken all contact with her. Sad, sad book. Claire is worth a hundred of Jenny.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I thought if I took a few days, I'd have the words to express how i felt about this book, but sadly that is not the case.

Suffice it to say, this is an extremely well done book. On its surface, it is a mystery/suspense. Jack is a newly elected district attorney, whose life is complicated, to say the least, when his son's girlfriend falsely accuses him of sexual assault. Most of the book is about him trying to figure out why she has accused him of this. His task is made more difficult when his ex-mistress comes back into town, asking his help, and asking that he circumvent the authorities, which, as DA, puts him in a tight position. The burden of the scandal on his home life adds seemingly insurmountable weight to a family already at the breaking point.

But this book is about so much more than that. jack is a man who prides himself on doing the right thing, even though he fell short of his own standards by having an affair, causing damage to his marriage and his relationship with his oldest son that he is still trying to fix four years later. Still, he insists on helping his mistress, not out of lust or love, but simply because someone he cares about needs his help.

Jack is one of those protagonists that is hard to root for, but impossible to root against. Simply because he makes poor decisions for the most noblest of reasons - because it is the right thing to do. And yet one must ask, is there a universal "right thing", if it causes harm to your family and even to yourself? At what point is selfishness the moral high road? I found that the poignancy of Jacks navigation of his moral code and his dedication to his family far more compelling than the substantive plot of the ex-mistress and the sons girlfriend. If anything, I found the plot fairly overdrawn for the drama it caused. But since that drama led to such an insightful and reflective book, it did not matter to me in the end.

In short, this is a thoroughly engaging and well written novel, not for the mystery but for the painfully human flaws of the characters. Jack, his wife, his son and even the ancillary characters are so compelling it almost doesn't matter what they do!

I discovered that this is the second book in the series, and while I won't read the first (because this book picks up where the first one left off) I will definitely read other books by this author. She's one to watch.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.