Imagine your husband was murdered. Imagine everything you thought you knew about the past was a lie.
Two children sneak out on a freezing winter night, hoping to see a ghost. But instead they witness something far more terrifying. A man dumping a body . . .
DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal are called in to investigate this perplexing murder. Eventually the dead man’s wife is identified. But Laura Cameron’s husband turns out to have kept many secrets from her. And when she goes to visit her old friends who live near where the murder happened, Laura enters a dark web of lies as she tries to dig into the past to discover the truth about what happened to her husband.
Who killed her husband how does it tie into the past?
In a thrilling climax, everything will be turned upside down in this twisting crime thriller.
Janice was born and grew up in West Lothian, Scotland. Her love of writing began when she was given a notebook by a primary school teacher and told to write ‘Just Imagine,’ on the cover. She enjoyed writing stories in the notebook so much that she decided she'd like to be an author. Due to life, work and children, It took a little longer than she imagined.
After a ten-year stint of working in London, Janice moved to Lincolnshire where she still lives. She now writes full-time. In her free time she enjoys walking, and reading in coffee shops.
Janice is the author of six books in the bestselling Merry & Neal series, four books in the Warwick & Bell series, and one standalone mystery, The Woman on the Cliff.
All of Janice’s books are published by Joffe Books.
The Merry & Neal series
1 Dead Secret 2 Dark Secret 3 Her Husband’s Secret 4. Fatal Secrets 5 Dirty Secrets 6 Murderous Secrets
Warwick & Bell series
1 Murder Among Friends 2 Murder Across The Lines 3 Murder Against The Odds 4 Murder On A Country Walk
Gosh, these reviews are coming out in no particular order. This book was an excellent addition to a great series. Why oh why do children keep huge secrets thinking they'll get into trouble? Two boys who sneak out one night hoping to see a ghost (as if they wouldn't run away screaming anyway) see something much worse. It looks like body is being dumped. But of course they don't tell anyone. The dead man is eventually identified as Ewan Cameron. His wife can shed no light on where he was or what he was doing. Eventually she realises that she may not have known him at all.
This third book of the series continues to build on the characters of DI Jim Neal and DS Ave Merry, They are very likeable and make a good team, An exciting ending wraps this book up nicely. Onto the next story in due course,
Two kids sneak out of their homes late one night, hoping to see a ghost. What they see is even more terrifying. They see a man dumping a body. Even worse, he hears the kids and chase them through the dark.
The next day the body is found ... and the kids remain silent.
DS Merry and DI Neal are called in to investigate. There is no identity on the body. His car is located in a distant location. Information found in the care identify him as Ewan Cameron. There was a robbery that same night ... is his death tied to that?
When the police notify the wife, she doesn't seem that upset and she states that she has no idea of where he was or what he was doing. Does she know more than she's telling?
Digging deeper, Merry & Neal discover that the deceased was once questioned about the disappearance of a young single mom some years back. Could his death be related?
While the police are investigating, the man's wife does a little digging herself. She's beginning to think she never knew her husband and her whole life has been based on a lie.
This is third in the series. There are a few small references to things that happened previously, but not enough to ruin my enjoyment of this one. I always recommend reading a series in order, but as a stand-alone, this book worked well.
This is a well written crime thriller. The characters remain firmly drawn. DS Ava Merry is a young policewoman, recently promoted to detective sergeant. She is fitness fanatic with a taste for dangerous relationships. DI Jim Neal is single dad who juggles his devotion to his job with caring for his son.
Lots of action and twists and turns. The ending is a shocker!
I chose to read Her Husband's Secret ... all opinions expressed are entirely unbiased and are mine and mine alone.
Her Husband’s secret by Janice Frost is the third book in DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal series.
Two kids along with dog sneak out of the house and watch a man drag a body. Terrified they swore to keep it a secret. DS Ava and DI Jim start investigating the case. When they contact the wife Laura she at first does not seem too upset by her husband’s death. During the investigation, they discover the man murdered Ewan was hiding a few secrets from his wife. He and his friends were suspects in the disappearance of a single mom a few years’ back. Did the past come to haunt Ewan or was his death connected to robbery that occurred at the same night?
This book is a well written police procedure with some interesting characters. Even though there is some reference to the previous books this one can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed reading about the main characters and would love to follow up on their story but I felt the mystery lacking. It was a good book, fast read with 3 ½ stars.
Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Her Husband's Secret, the third novel in the Neal and Merry series of police procedurals.
2 10 year olds and a dog out ghost hunting see a man drag a body into the ruins of a local abbey. When the dog barks the man chases them but they get away and report the body anonymously because they don't want their parents to know they have been out at night. The body is identified as Ewan Cameron from Edinburgh. Why he was in Stromford, where he lived as a student, is not initially clear but it was not to visit his former best friends David and Rhona Pine whom he has not seen in 10 years after a falling out. Ewan's wife, Lorna, comes down from Edinburgh to identify the body and is invited to stay with David and Rhona but all is not as it seems. David and Rhona are also keeping secrets which Lorna suspects have to do with their falling out with Ewan and is determined to find out.
This is a cleverly plotted novel with plenty of twists and turns and it held my attention throughout. It unfolds in a linear and logical manner with one piece of information leading to the next and ends in an explosive, action packed finale, which seems a bit incongruous with the slower pace of what went before.
As the series progresses the characters become more rounded and the reader is given more of their background. I don't feel Ms Frost has the balance quite right, however, as it seems a bit top heavy on Neal and Merry's lives and the attraction between them.
Her Husband's Secret is a good read with an absorbing plot so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.
I have read one other book by Janice Frost (Dead Secret) and really enjoyed. This was just as good, with lots of twists and turns and although i thought i knew what the ending would be, i was wrong. That doesn't happen very often! I hope to read more by this author. Recommended.
A good well written story I it makes you want turn the page to find out what is happening but their are many twists th hat keep you enthralled Tom Waters
I haven't got alot to say about this one really its your run of the mill mystery, two cops follow up leads on a murder which is all pretty straightforward but the ending did surprise me, I just didn't see that coming.
Laura's husband is found murdered and during the investigation secrets and lies are revealed from her past friends. Was her own husband a murderer ? What are her friends hiding ? Could they have murdered her husband ?
I liked the characters and the story was easy to follow, it just lacked a little excitement for me, until the end.
Thankyou to Netgalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review.
3 1/2 *** Right away it felt like I had walked into something and missed the beginning. I would have gotten to know the main characters better if I had read the first two books in the series. But then I caught up with DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal and the book moved along nicely.
Two kids and a dog sneaked out of their house late one night to go ghost hunting and instead saw a man dragging a dead body. The barking dog gives them away and the man chases after them. They got away and reported the body anonymously.
The murdered man is Ewan and when DI Neal contacted his wife, Laura to let her know her husband is dead, she seems to not be upset at all. DS Merry and DI Neal investigated only to find out the murdered man was hiding a few secrets from his wife.
The book is well-written and it can be read as a stand. The characters were likeable, lots of twist and turns, mysteries to solve, etc. Didn’t really see that ending coming which is good. Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this book.
Her Husbands secret by Janice Frost is a mystery and thriller read. Two children sneak out on a freezing winter night, hoping to see a ghost. But instead they witness something far more terrifying. A man dumping a body . . . DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal are called in to investigate this perplexing murder. Eventually the dead man’s wife is identified. But Laura Cameron’s husband turns out to have kept many secrets from her. And when she goes to visit her old friends who live near where the murder happened, Laura enters a dark web of lies as she tries to dig into the past to discover the truth about what happened to her husband. This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved the story. 5*.Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.
This book has a nice balance of crime solving and the evolving personal lives of the main characters. Lots of layers to the plot (and maybe a too few coincidences?) to keep the reader questioning who the killer might be. Love watching Ava and Jim dancing around each other! Glad we're getting more of the side characters - makes the story richer.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is my first book by the author and, although it is the 3rd in a series, it appears to read okay as a stand alone. There were references to past cases along with Ava and Jims previous dealings with each other but it doesn't distract too much from this story. I really liked these two characters and plan to read the other books in the series. Definitely kept me guessing but felt the ending left quite a lot of loose ends.
I wish I had read this book soon after book two because I had forgotten what went on before. It didn’t really spoil the book but irritated me that I couldn’t remember the back story.
An easy read that was lightweight and pleasant enough. The lead character is Ava and not DCI Neil who is her superior. Ava is quite an engaging character but her boss remains a bit two dimensional. The story was decent but the characters lacked depth. I like the storytelling style of the author and will read the others in the series
I'm a little disappointed. I just don't think this series is as good as, say, Robert Bryndza or Robert Dugoni who write similar detective stories. The storyline, writing and characters are just not as crisp and don't hit the mark for me. Maybe I have been spoilt by those other authors...? Rounded up to 3.5 stars.
Another brilliant read. I absolutely love these books by janice Frost she knows how to keep a readers attention once again really clever plot books are just getting better and better ! .
Book: Her Secret Husband Author: Sundari Venkatraman Rating 4/5
In the book, Her secret husband, the protagonists are Ruma and Laki.
Ruma and Laki are colleagues. Ruma is a feisty girl while Laki is a really cool guy. He has a well-developed personality and a great attitude, especially when dealing with Ruma's family.
It is a simple love story of how a girl meets a boy, falls in love and they get married. Ruma belongs to a very conservative family who believes in arranged marriage and women not working. They want Ruma to get married to a rich businessman. Ruma and Laki had to deal with a lot of difficulties to convince their families into their marriage. The ending was explained so nicely and it kept the readers engaged.
Ruma is a feisty woman and is not the one who will let destiny decide things for her. Lakshaman is hot, sweet and charming, making for a very interesting dynamic between the protagonists. He has a bakery business, all the scenes over there were illustrated in a very nice manner.
Ruma and Lakshman care for their families but are left with no other choice than do the inevitable.
Love and lust were defined properly. To all the people who love Romance reading, here's a treat for y'all. The planning and plotting and the twists and turns were explained nicely. The entry of each character is mentioned in a very nice way. The book cover is cute as per the norm for her books. The title is intriguing and that's what prompted my interest in this story. Those who want to read as a starter base can easily pick up her novels.
When her husband had been murdered, the wife seems unfazed by his death. At college there was the four of them that was close, open relationships for several years changed that for Laura and Ewan. She has acquainted now after ten years with the couple and their three children.Finding all the lies and secrets her husband had. Steph he loved more than life he told this couple, and after she went missing he asked Laura in marriage. The pieces are falling in place of why he was distant and moody. What secrets does her friends have with the missing girl, and now murder. Friends thinking they were doing right when they were young. Now families have been destroyed now by the truth coming out on all the murders A twisted tale of the past, Laura wasn’t aware of.
This one had a better conclusion with all questions being answered so I am feeling g a lot less frustrated than I did with book 1&2. I’m still not sure about how I feel about the series. DI Neal is hot and cold with Ava which annoys me. I like romance books too so if they had got together then that would have brought two genres together. I will give book 4 a go because it’s on audible in the plus catalogue. I can’t say for sure I would have continued the whole series if they cost me. The narrator is good, can portray a wide variety of accents and each person is easily identifiable when it changes to them.
Another book I've had forever and should have read much sooner. Trying to clear my backlog of books and decided it was time to catch up with this series.
D.S. Ava Merry and D.I. Jim Neal ✔︎ 1. Dead Secret (2015) ✔︎ 2. Dark Secret (2016) ✔︎ 3. Her Husband's Secret (2016) 4. Their Fatal Secrets (2017) 5. Dirty Secrets (2018) 6. Murderous Secrets (2019)
This is the 3rd book in the DS Ava Merry series.
A decent read with good characters and enough suspense to keep you intrigued. When two kids sneak out during in the night to go looking for a ghost they see much more than they expected.
When everyone except you knows the secret, is it still a secret? Or is it an anvil ready to drop on someone’s head? Disclaimer: there is no anvil in this story. Anyway, back to the story. I found this definition of a friend: ‘A friend is someone you love and who loves you, someone you respect and who respects you, someone whom you trust and who trusts you. A friend is honest and makes you want to be honest, too.’ Keep that in mind as you read this story about ‘friends’. I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.
When I started this book I wasn't aware that it was the third book in the series featuring DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal.
I think this might have spoiled the book a little as there was clearly something of a back-story about the police team.
However, the plot-line makes the story strong enough to stand on its own merits.
I think this is a sound example of the police procedural/crime thriller genre. There are plenty of potential perpetrators for the original murder. Through into the mix a complex back-story involving the first victim. Then a complex set of relationships and an earlier missing person case: Unresolved!
This leads to a search for the person who was responsible for the murder.
All was not what it seemed. A tense denouement makes for a worthwhile ending.
My thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for this review.
Compared to the previous books in this series, this one is a near-dud. This story is so contrived that it seems almost ludicrous. Two children sneak out to look for a ghost. Instead, they witness a man dumping a body. Terrified, they swear to themselves never to reveal what they saw.
However, this death is connected to one that occurred ten years before. An investigation is how Merry and Neal discover the culprit. This one is bizarre.
Two kids sneak out and see a man dumping a body. Somehow they remain silent when the body is found. This is the third in the series and it may be helpful to read I. The right order to get character background. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
I have really enjoyed reading all three in the series but what spoils the story line for me is, all the clues indicate that the stories are based in and around Lincoln in Lincolnshire why call it Stromford in Stromfordshire?
This is my first book by Ms. Frost, and I am pleased that I wasn't too disappointed. The story is steady and not dragged down with too much detail. I remain curious about Ava's dark past.