The Secrets of St Jude's: When finding the truth can be dangerous

by Susan Simon

Once regarded as one of the nation’s leading schools, grand old St Jude’s School for Girls finds itself on the brink of collapse after a number of public scandals damage its reputation.

Rosie Gladshaw – a dynamic and successful educator in her 40s – is appointed principal to lead the school into a bright new future. However, when Rosie comes face to face with the nuns and old girls who rigorously guard the school’s traditions, she soon discovers that her new role is much more than she signed up for.

Rosie uncovers a web of secrets, abuse and illicit affairs – and a murder which must be solved. But will Rosie be the whistle-blower, even if it puts her and family in danger?

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2026

Reviews

[Craig and Phil]

Big thanks to Ventura Press for sending us a copy to read and review.
A mystery tale set in an elite academy with moments of thriller vibes.
I enjoyed this one, lots of ruthless, dishonest and underhanded situations with some surprises and interesting characters.
St Jude’s School for Girls was the most prestigious school around.
But due to scandal its reputation and credibility is now in tatters.
The board appoint a new head of the school.
Enter Rosie Gladshaw, the new principal.
But not everyone is happy with this decision.
Soon Rosie is embroiled in more drama than she ever imagined…..
A goodie with a smart storyline.
It’s always intriguing to read about school yard politics and the way parents, teachers, other workers and in this case nun’s who will do whatever it’s takes to keep the peace and get what they want.
A maze of control and a tangled web of secrets bring to light the behind the scenes melodrama surrounding recent public embarrassments, skeletons in closets and backstabbing.

[bianca]

not only was the 40 pages i read incredibly boring, the use of ellipses in almost every set of dialogue was driving me crazy. the writing itself was also very jarring, the descriptions made no sense in the way it was formatted (i.e describing what someone did while they were speaking after the conversation was over, instead of whilst it was happening) and the language was all over the place (using simplistic language and throwing in a random word that was more “high class,” per se). waste of my $33 :(

[Claire]

One of the most boring books I’ve ever read. The dialogue reads like the inane rantings of a random stranger, the characters are not well developed and there are so many peripheral people, and the storyline is completely uninteresting. I forced myself to finish in case it improved, but it never did.

[Magpie]

Reserved for Lyn ✅