The Detective's Secret

The Detective's Daughter #3

by Lesley Thomson

Stella Darnell was the detective's Daughter. Now she's solving cases of her own.

Jack Harmon craves silence and a bird's eye view. From his new home in Palmyra Tower, he can raise binoculars to watch over west London. If he watches for long enough, he will learn who has secrets. He will learn who plans to kill.

But Jack does not see everything. A man has died beneath a late-night train, and Jack's friend Stella, the detective's daughter, suspects it could have been murder.

Now Jack and Stella are stirring up the past with questions that no one wants answered - questions that lead to an unsolved case nearly twenty years old...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook, Ebooks, Suspense

417 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 9, 2015

About the author

Lesley Thomson was born in 1958 and grew up in London. She went to Holland Park Comprehensive and the Universities of Brighton and Sussex. Her novel A Kind of Vanishing won The People's Book Prize in 2010. Lesley combines writing with teaching creative writing. She lives in Lewes with her partner.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this book was a better story than book 2.won this book on first reads.

[Bruce Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first two novels of this series, Stella Darnell, who runs a cleaning company, manages to solve cases which were left unfinished by her late father, Detective Superintendent Terry Darnell; each time being ably assisted by her best cleaner, Jack Harmon, whose main job is as a Tube train driver. Jack has recently moved into a new home; a refurbished former water tower near the north shore of the river Thames. Despite the wonderful panoramic views, he soon begins to feel uneasy about the place.
This time, the investigation is instigated when Jack witnesses a man jump in front of a late night train. Originally dismissed as suicide, Stella and Jack begin to suspect murder.
Like the previous novels, this one has a complex plot and two timelines; the earlier of which involves people from Jack’s childhood. Despite the complexity, the haunting locations and cast of strange characters make for an easy and enjoyable read. The finale, which takes place during a storm on an island in the Thames is particularly thrilling.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first few chapters were just crazy. Crazy in, you could not figure out what the heck was going on. I got lost and tried to stick it out but a little half way through I had to end this. Nope. Not for me.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1987, a man and a woman are seen making love in a water tower in Chiswick. When the woman leaves, she slams the door closed trapping the man inside. A group of children had been playing soldier in the tower and witnessed the couple. This fact will become important as the story moves between 1987 as we learn more about the children and their relationships to the couple and to each other and forward to the present where Stella Darnell and her friend Jack work together both in her cleaning business and in solving crimes. Jack is also a train driver in the London Underground. Recently a man fell under a train (called a One Under by the drivers). The police are satisfied that it was a suicide but the man’s brother is convinced it was murder and hires Stella and Jack to investigate. Meanwhile, Stella’s mom finally returns from a long trip to Australia with a man she introduces as Stella’s brother and Jack moves into the water tower that is in the process of being converted into flats.

The Detective’s Secret by author Lesley Thomson is the third in The Detective’s Daughter series but it is the first I’ve read. This is an odd story made odder by references (I assume) to the other books which are never explained like Jack’s talk of True Hosts(?) which tended to break my willing suspension of disbelief at times. However, once it became clear that these things really had no bearing on this novel and I could just ignore them, I really began to enjoy the story. The main characters are likable if a bit neurotic and there is a quirkiness to both the characters and the tale that made it a lot of fun to read. Much of the plot is taken up with Stella’s and Jack’s private lives and the solution to the mystery seems to rest on some rather unlikely coincidences and luck rather than any real skill by the two main protagonists - in most mystery novels, this would have been unforgivable; somehow though, here, it not only fit, it seems right. Since this is not your usual mystery, all the usual tropes and rules need not apply. So if you’re looking for something a little different in the mystery genre, I highly recommend The Detective’s Secret.

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, I chose a book that's part of a series I haven't read. I will say, that though there are references to the first book, THE DETECTIVE'S DAUGHTER, this one still works well as a stand-alone.

Stella Darnell was the detective's daughter and now she's solving cases of her own. A man has died beneath the wheels of a train, Along with her friend, Jack Harmon, she suspects that it was murder and not an accident or suicide. Their investigating leads to an unsolved case 20 years old ... and someone is watching and is not happy.

This was an easy read. Not breathtakingly suspenseful, but still an enjoyable read. I would like to go back and read the first in the series to get more of a handle on who Stella and Jack really are and how their relationship came to be. And I'd really like to know what kind of relationship Stella had with her father.

My thanks to NetGalley / Trafalgar Square Publishing/ Head of Zeus who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really struggled to get into this, it wasn't until I finished it that I learnt it was the 3rd in a series.

[Pam Mertens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Detective's Daughter series. I read the first two, and thus knew some of the history of the main characters. No spoiler alert - some of chapters seemed disconnected to the history that has been laid out in earlier stories, but the author pulled it all together in the end. I would definitely recommend this series (Stella owns a cleaning service, and is joined in her detecting by Jack Harmon, who works from intuition and signs), and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, The House with No Rooms.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series...but you really need to pay attention to the plot. It's intricate and complex - I often had to step back for a few minutes and go over the story and the characters. It's a good thing I write down all the characters and dates when I read mystery/crime books...my own obsession with keeping everything clear and in order in my head, and it sure paid off this time.

Well done on this book...looking forward to the series next book.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lot longer than it had to be, and very repetitive in the details. I almost didn't finish it. 3.5 really.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the Detective's Daughter series! I have been eagerly awaiting the latest instalment and it didn't disappoint. This is the third book: it follows The Detective's Daughter (#1) and Ghost Girl (#2). The author's first novel A Kind of Vanishing is a prequel, of sorts, to the series. Events and characters from all three previous books are referenced in The Detective's Secret, but there are no spoilers.

I would highly recommend (from personal experience!) reading this series in sequence. A couple of the characters, their behaviours and their histories are very complex and are unlikely to make any sense unless you have read the previous books. I read Ghost Girl (#2) first and several aspects were extremely confusing; a lot of things didn't fall into place until I followed it with The Detective's Daughter (#1). It is not necessary to read A Kind of Vanishing to understand and enjoy The Detective's Daughter series, but it is interesting for some background trivia on a few minor characters and is worth checking out for its own merits.

The highlight of these books for me are the characters; they step right off of the page and into life. It's like looking at paintings which are so realistic you mistake them for photographs. The author doesn't just write ABOUT people, she places you right inside their head. Instead of the filtered and fully-developed output that is usually all we get to see of someone else's mind, this is like having full access to the raw, unedited footage. It's the small, uneventful moments – private observations, nascent thoughts and emotions – that make it especially effective. She is particularly accomplished at writing from a child's point of view; events and people are presented to the reader skewed through the prism of a child's inchoate perception.

These books are character-driven and my favourite character is Jack. Eccentric, intelligent, whimsical and led by signs and portents, he provides the perfect foil for the ordered, pragmatic Stella. In another author's hands, Stella might have come across as a cold fish, supercilious and judgemental; however, because we have access to these people's inner thoughts, we see their motivations and sympathise. Jack and Stella have one thing in common: they're both loners. Together, through Stella's cleaning business, they provide an unofficial detective service.

This particular book is perhaps a little slow in places and has a small handful of plot holes covered with flimsy explanations, but I can completely forgive it that, as the writing style in this series is just entrancing. Descriptive, atmospheric and surreal, it's completely unique to anything I've read before. There are no big surprises in this book (unlike the great twist halfway through The Detective's Daughter that I actually didn't see coming), but the gripping aspect is watching all the threads coming together, all the characters stories slowly merging. The reader is often privy to information that the characters are not, but this doesn't detract from the suspense.

I can't wait until 2016 for the next book!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t often read detective stories and would never normally read a book from the middle of a series, rather than at the beginning, but I wanted to read this book in preparation for a book club meeting. I confess I struggled with the first few chapters – I had trouble getting a handle on the characters and the pared back writing style – but I’m familiar with the parts of London described in the book and as the story unfolded I was curious to find out where it would go. I loved Stanley the dog, Lucie the slightly inebriated journalist, and the creepy settings – the water tower, the eyot and the graveyard worked well to heighten the suspense, increase the sense of unease and keep me gripped to the end.
Unfortunately I still didn’t warm to the two main characters Stella and Jack (I was disappointed there was no chemistry between them) and I felt several questions were left unanswered (such as why Jack goes by the name he does) but maybe these things are addressed in prior or subsequent books. Overall an atmospheric read, which is probably best enjoyed in the context of the rest of the series.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book. I found it very hard to read at first, her prose is stilted and strange, and it jumps about a bit. As someone who "watches" the events of the book unfold rather than reads them (hard to explain, but I watch the book happen in my head...) anyway. So what was weird was that I could see so clearly what the characters were doing but rarely could see where they were - so there were these very clear characters doing extremely precise things ... somewhere... I never got a clear sense of what the Chiswick eylot was supposed to look like, or any of the houses.
BUT, I couldn't leave it alone. It was incredibly tense, and even though you could see some plot points coming from a thousand miles away it was still scary when they did happen.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved, loved loved this one. It went a bit round about the place but by the time you got to the end, everything was explained. Love the characters, the writing, the spins, the plot. Everything. Cant wait to see if there is a next one!!

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was slightly dubious about the second book in this series but third one is back on form...although I would like a better image of Stella - and for her to stop zipping up her anorak!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, The Detective’s Daughter holds my attention and challenges me to try and solve the mystery before she does. I simply love these well thought out and brilliantly written novels. Right from the very start, I found myself absorbed in the story, trying to work out where the initial chapters were leading and how Stella and Jack would become involved – on this occasion much more involved than either of them could have possibly imagined. There is plenty of intrigue and lots of surprises. The pace picks up towards the end and there was a moment when I found myself brushing away a small tear. However, the ending was both satisfying and brought about a touch of permanence to the Clean Slate business which made me look forward to the next in the series. Lesley Thomson has a fantastic imagination and always manages to tap into the dark and mysterious world of crime. Based in London, the books also manage to be interesting and instructional about the history of my capital city in a way that I find fascinating.

[Jenny Mackinlay · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are lots of books you know just aren't for you and you put them down and that's fine. This one amazes me that it has so many fans. It is MUCH too long, muddled, confusing, the writing style is all elbows and rough edges, the two main characters are dislikeable nut jobs, and the PLOT . . . COINCIDENCE MUCH??? I'm also sick to death of the all-powerful psychopath, the Super Nut Job who is willing to dedicate his/her entire life to revenge or whatever and is, furthermore, clever enough to be wildly successful in the real world in a totally unreal way so he/she can manipulate the chosen victim(s) in an even more totally unreal way, toward the planned spectacular end. UGH.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was another of my random choice books when I had run out of books to read, but the synopsis appealed to me. it took me a while to get into the way the book was written, it wasnt the time frame shifts, from the 1980s to 2013, I am used to books like that, it was more the prose and the bit of disjointedness but persevering brought its rewards as I found myself intrigued by the interwoven stories and characters. It was almost an eerie setting too, the Chiswick eyot and the Thames, the London Underground, all silently going about their business whilst crimes were being committed. I havent read any others in the series yet, but this one was also good as a stand alone

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the dark atmosphere of all of the books in this series, though the suspense made me put this book down from time to time. Every time I thought I was done with the book, tired of the story, I would pick it up, and be immediately sucked back into it. I liked that though the ending feel satisfying, they are not neat and tidy. This was a very good book.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I am addicted to these Lesley Thomson novels — the stories of Stella and Jack. I realize that some people don't enjoy the shifting timelines, but since both protagonists are working out fractures from their pasts, this structure works for me. I love the stories, the characters, and the settings. Sadly, I am about to catch up with Thomson's writing speed, so may have to stop bingeing.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another rock solid book in this series. Stella and Jack are growing on me more and more!


Favorite citation:
“[It] rings a bell with me. But the older one gets, the more bells ring. Stay young, Jack. Stay as you are.”

[Stargazer · Rating 2 out of 5]

a bit convoluted in places, my head was spinning a couple of times. hmm not sure but will try another one.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific book. Really enjoying this series

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the three in the series and hope to see more.

[Nicola Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost five stars. I loved it. I love the series 😊

[Karla Mcmaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot...interesting characters

[Sumayya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t that interesting at the beginning and then from the middle to the end the pace picked up. There wasn’t much surprises and the killer was easy to guess, so was kind of boring

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

great storyline but quiet repetitive could of been alot shorter and got abit boring towards the end.

[Anne Honsel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling!

A brilliant plot with so many twists and turns that I had to go back an reread some parts to get it.

[Mrs S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. You lose the thread in the middle as so much is going on but stick with it as is brilliant.

[Jennifer Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My new favorite author