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Secret Admirer
Laura has it all.
A loving husband, a five-year-old son, a flourishing career and a beautiful home on the shore.
New Year’s Eve. An intruder in a ski mask invades her beautifully restored Victorian home. He knocks her unconscious and shoots her husband dead in their bed.
Her perfect life just ended.
The police think she’s lying about what happened. And now she’s the prime suspect for her husband’s murder.
But if she didn’t do it, who did?
An electrifying blend of high domestic suspense, heart-stopping tension — with a shattering final twist.
A loving husband, a five-year-old son, a flourishing career and a beautiful home on the shore.
New Year’s Eve. An intruder in a ski mask invades her beautifully restored Victorian home. He knocks her unconscious and shoots her husband dead in their bed.
Her perfect life just ended.
The police think she’s lying about what happened. And now she’s the prime suspect for her husband’s murder.
But if she didn’t do it, who did?
An electrifying blend of high domestic suspense, heart-stopping tension — with a shattering final twist.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1995
1606 people are currently reading
945 people want to read
About the author
Patricia MacDonald
70 books553 followersLibrarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Patricia MacDonald is the author of several psychological suspense novels set in small towns. MacDonald grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and has a master's degree from Boston College. Before writing her own novels she was a book editor and was once an editor for a soap opera magazine in New York. She is married to writer Art Bourgeau. They live in Cape May, New Jersey and have one daughter.
Her first novel, The Unforgiven, published in 1981, received an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. Secret Admirer (1995) won the literary prize at the 1997 Deauville Film Festival in France, where MacDonald is consistently a number one bestseller. She’s also been awarded the prize for literature at the International Forum of Cinema and Literature in Monaco.
Patricia MacDonald is the author of several psychological suspense novels set in small towns. MacDonald grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and has a master's degree from Boston College. Before writing her own novels she was a book editor and was once an editor for a soap opera magazine in New York. She is married to writer Art Bourgeau. They live in Cape May, New Jersey and have one daughter.
Her first novel, The Unforgiven, published in 1981, received an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. Secret Admirer (1995) won the literary prize at the 1997 Deauville Film Festival in France, where MacDonald is consistently a number one bestseller. She’s also been awarded the prize for literature at the International Forum of Cinema and Literature in Monaco.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
September 14, 2011
Laura Reed, a children's book author, is living happily in a quiet seaside town in New Jersey when she & her family are suddenly attacked in their home, her husband is murdered, & all evidence points to her.
I really liked this one, I couldn't put it down. The only criticism I have it that it ended very abruptly, like a movie you might watch, and just as the bad guy is discovered the credits roll and I say, "what? what? what?" I like have a more leisurely ending when all is unraveled and maybe even a epilogue from a month or a year later showing where things went in the future.
I really liked this one, I couldn't put it down. The only criticism I have it that it ended very abruptly, like a movie you might watch, and just as the bad guy is discovered the credits roll and I say, "what? what? what?" I like have a more leisurely ending when all is unraveled and maybe even a epilogue from a month or a year later showing where things went in the future.
November 3, 2024
Good story. After all that reading I would have preferred a decent ending. The MFC was not very likeable. Almost too many characters to keep track of!
3.5 ⭐️
3.5 ⭐️
September 7, 2018
Foi uma boa leitura mas houve partes que foram meias previsíveis. Fala de que as vezes não sabemos quem está do nosso lado e quem está contra nós como também fala que pessoas que não esperávamos trazem-nos surpresas boas.
July 26, 2009
A melodramatic soap opera of a romance masquerading as a mystery.
August 11, 2023
Boooahr, Cliffhanger!! Aber suuuuper spannend, absolute Empfehlung, wenn es am Anfang auch etwas langweilig wirkt, allerspätestens ab der Hälfte hält man bei jedem Kapitel die Luft an vor Spannung! Die Auflösung ist auch richtig gut! Unerwartet, dennoch schlüssig.
June 13, 2016
Vários suspeitos.
Final surpreendente.
Gostei.
Um bom livro para desanuviar entre livros pesados.
Final surpreendente.
Gostei.
Um bom livro para desanuviar entre livros pesados.
June 12, 2022
Hated how the book just ended
June 21, 2022
This novel was interesting but the end felt rushed. I was expecting an epilogue.
September 19, 2022
The ending was lacking
I really liked the plot and storyline, however, the ending was not to my liking. It left me wondering if Ian died or if he actually made it.
I really liked the plot and storyline, however, the ending was not to my liking. It left me wondering if Ian died or if he actually made it.
December 14, 2023
PATRICIA MACDONALD
SECRET ADMIRER
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description :
Laura has it all. A loving husband, a five-year-old son, a flourishing career and a beautiful home on the shore.
New Year’s Eve. An intruder in a ski mask invades her beautifully restored Victorian home. He knocks her unconscious and shoots her husband dead in their bed.
Her perfect life just ended.
The police think she’s lying about what happened. And now she’s the prime suspect for her husband’s murder.
But if she didn’t do it, who did?
📢 MY Review 📢
I absolutely loved this book! Everything about it, from the writing style, the characters, and the twist was so good. Definitely a book I had a difficult time putting down! I began reading it this morning and finished the story this evening. From the beginning the plot is nonstop action and the characters are well developed. I'm hooked!! If you like intrigue, mystery and twists, you'll enjoy this book. The ending however left so many things unanswered which brought it down to 4 stars.
SECRET ADMIRER
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description :
Laura has it all. A loving husband, a five-year-old son, a flourishing career and a beautiful home on the shore.
New Year’s Eve. An intruder in a ski mask invades her beautifully restored Victorian home. He knocks her unconscious and shoots her husband dead in their bed.
Her perfect life just ended.
The police think she’s lying about what happened. And now she’s the prime suspect for her husband’s murder.
But if she didn’t do it, who did?
📢 MY Review 📢
I absolutely loved this book! Everything about it, from the writing style, the characters, and the twist was so good. Definitely a book I had a difficult time putting down! I began reading it this morning and finished the story this evening. From the beginning the plot is nonstop action and the characters are well developed. I'm hooked!! If you like intrigue, mystery and twists, you'll enjoy this book. The ending however left so many things unanswered which brought it down to 4 stars.
August 12, 2025
I found this hard to get into if I'm honest, and I usually love her books.
May 30, 2025
I don't know why I read the reviews before I add mine...but they seemed over rated. Laura is gullible, whiney, and acts irrational. Sometimes had difficulty following all characters. Half dozen could have been eliminated. I really get annoyed when story lines wrap up in a few pages. It's like the author's realizing. "Whoa, this book is long enough. Gotta go!"
May 21, 2022
I'm loving this author!
I didn't read the blurb as I didn't want to see anything that may give me a clue. It was so refreshing to read a book that just flows, with no now and then type plot lines.
Great characters, believable and enjoyable to read.
I recommend this book, and author. Well done P M
I didn't read the blurb as I didn't want to see anything that may give me a clue. It was so refreshing to read a book that just flows, with no now and then type plot lines.
Great characters, believable and enjoyable to read.
I recommend this book, and author. Well done P M
January 14, 2014
Aqui está um policial mesmo como eu gosto, daqueles que ao virar de cada página pensamos: "ai, ai... e agora...??? O que é que aí vem??"
Normalmente nos policiais, quando chego a meio do livro, começo a ter alguns suspeitos e algumas certezas sobre os presumíveis culpados do crime.
Neste livro não consegui... a cada capítulo ficava mais baralhada e mais curiosa para saber o desfecho e quando cheguei ao final o meu pensamento foi "Olha que esta!!! Quem diria!!!"
Esta é sem dúvida uma autora que não desilude os seus leitores, pois abordando temas tão sublimes como o amor matrimonial, o amor de mães para filhos, a desconfiança, a dor da morte de um ente querido, etc, nos consegue prender à história e mantém o suspense no ar.
Normalmente nos policiais, quando chego a meio do livro, começo a ter alguns suspeitos e algumas certezas sobre os presumíveis culpados do crime.
Neste livro não consegui... a cada capítulo ficava mais baralhada e mais curiosa para saber o desfecho e quando cheguei ao final o meu pensamento foi "Olha que esta!!! Quem diria!!!"
Esta é sem dúvida uma autora que não desilude os seus leitores, pois abordando temas tão sublimes como o amor matrimonial, o amor de mães para filhos, a desconfiança, a dor da morte de um ente querido, etc, nos consegue prender à história e mantém o suspense no ar.
April 28, 2022
So many times my heart skipped a beat when I thought I had it all figured out. People to suspect. I trusted no one except Michael! Things moved way too quickly with Ian. His story was not to be believed and he was too controlling. Even with the devastating loss of his son. I would have run screaming away. In the end, the police were good guys. I wish Laura had confided more in Marta. Seems of all the people, Marta may have had her act together. And thank you for Candy getting her comeuppance. I enjoyed the intrigue and the fast pace. Will read more by this author.
May 20, 2022
Abrupt ending...
Too many useless characters and unwarranted scenes just to try to tie in why is what & how and ultimately, the ending was abrupt, not believable and a total disappointment.
Too many useless characters and unwarranted scenes just to try to tie in why is what & how and ultimately, the ending was abrupt, not believable and a total disappointment.
September 23, 2016
I just couldn't get into this book at all.
October 7, 2017
Patricia MacDonald is one of the best whodunnit authors around. I am on a historical fiction trend but picked this up to read for some good escapism and it did not disappoint
June 19, 2022
It was a good book but the end just left you missing information.
Read
January 25, 2022A terrific read for me! This wasn’t the sappy saccharine romance novel I feared it might be, all the main characters were well rounded and most importantly the heroine was both interesting and realistically flawed, certainly sympathetic. The only downside for me was that certain plot twists were somewhat clumsily handled, to me although at the same time I cannot say that I found any of the plot twists predictable. I won’t give anything away other than to say that I was constantly left guessing. Something that I found impressive was that in the year 2022 I read this book written and set in 1992 yet it didn’t feel dated. There were some minor details that reading in hindsight might stand out but certainly nothing about the characters or the climate of the story. Honestly the book could have been written today and nothing about the characters would have stood out at all!
April 30, 2022
What a mixed up combination of stories this was. There were several shortcomings in this story but the biggest was in my opinion an idiotic main character, Laura.
Laura awakens with a head injury inflicted by a burglar who has shot her husband. She is suspected of orchestrating the murder when a huge life policy comes into play. This doesn't stop her marrying a man she scarcely knows 5 months later. At this stage I lost interest in her welfare and found her young son the most likeable and intelligent character, and this includes the chief of police who has a suspect cornered on a boat but doesn't arrest him. Instead he tells the suspect to remain put while he waits on the dock in his car. Really?! 2 stars
Laura awakens with a head injury inflicted by a burglar who has shot her husband. She is suspected of orchestrating the murder when a huge life policy comes into play. This doesn't stop her marrying a man she scarcely knows 5 months later. At this stage I lost interest in her welfare and found her young son the most likeable and intelligent character, and this includes the chief of police who has a suspect cornered on a boat but doesn't arrest him. Instead he tells the suspect to remain put while he waits on the dock in his car. Really?! 2 stars
May 12, 2022
Laura's husband, Jimmy, is found slain in their own bed. Though there is no evidence against her, Laura is a suspect in his murder and practically everyone in town thinks she's guilty. Is someone trying to frame her, or is she getting away with murder? Only a few months after Jimmy's death, Laura marries Ian after a whirlwind romance. Ian claims their meeting was by chance but he is caught in a string of lies. Could he be involved in a plot to kill Jimmy? Laura's son, Michael, is caught in the crossfire. Even Laura's in-laws, Sidney and Dolores, turn against her. Laura gets in deeper trouble. Can she find her way out? The plot is suspenseful and the characters as well as their relationships are well-done. Who is the real villain? Prepare for a surprise near the end.
June 7, 2022
I found this book very boring, from the formulaic plot to the flat storytelling and dull writing. I didn't get sense of these people, their home, their town. As a voracious reader of psychological suspense/thrillers, I think it would have served the story better to have PAST chapters written in an ambiguous way so as not to give away the identity of the killer and steer the reader in another direction. By the way, I figured out the killer very early on so the use of red herring/misdirection didn't work for me. Overall, not for me but other readers may like it
July 8, 2022
Patricia MacDonald has done it again. This was, for me, a great read. I love crime thrillers and psychological thrillers, so this one covers both. Admittedly, there were times I felt like it dragged a bit, but I don’t think it was so much the writing but my impatience. There were so many twists and turns in this book and, subsequently in my mind. He did it, no she did it, no that guy did it — I love that. Nothing worse than guessing who did it half way through the book — and I did’t with this book.
I highly recommend this book and this author. You will not be disappointed.
I highly recommend this book and this author. You will not be disappointed.
July 22, 2024
A little bit of this and a little bit of that
Good romantic thriller with twists and turns but the ending felt abrupt, the last 20% paced too quick with around 60% of the book going a little slow. The fast ending that just cuts off with little emotional closure is why I felt it's firmly in 4 star land. The writing was good. 3rd person pov works well here so we can see events and actions after the main character but the middle gets bogged down by all the small bit players and detective work. Overall this is a story about deception and perception.
Good romantic thriller with twists and turns but the ending felt abrupt, the last 20% paced too quick with around 60% of the book going a little slow. The fast ending that just cuts off with little emotional closure is why I felt it's firmly in 4 star land. The writing was good. 3rd person pov works well here so we can see events and actions after the main character but the middle gets bogged down by all the small bit players and detective work. Overall this is a story about deception and perception.
January 6, 2023
I was engaged with this story from beginning to end; one of those you don’t want to put down. For much of it, I was angry about how Laura was treated – lazy police always choosing the easy road, but not the truth.
I liked the mystery, the twists and turns and the clever red herrings. Laura’s turmoil was extremely well portrayed and the other characters fit nicely into the plot.
A great thriller /drama /crime novel.
Recommended.
I liked the mystery, the twists and turns and the clever red herrings. Laura’s turmoil was extremely well portrayed and the other characters fit nicely into the plot.
A great thriller /drama /crime novel.
Recommended.
January 12, 2023
Good build up, very disappointing ending.
This book kept me guessing all the way through as to who the real killer was, I guessed it correctly even though at the end it was very far fetched. The characters were not likeable in any way and I couldn’t feel sympathy for any of them. The ending felt extremely rushed and I couldn’t believe the story was left on that particular scene. Overall I wouldn’t recommend reading it for that ending alone.
This book kept me guessing all the way through as to who the real killer was, I guessed it correctly even though at the end it was very far fetched. The characters were not likeable in any way and I couldn’t feel sympathy for any of them. The ending felt extremely rushed and I couldn’t believe the story was left on that particular scene. Overall I wouldn’t recommend reading it for that ending alone.
July 23, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It was pretty good. The Main Character seemed kind of gullible to me throughout most of it. She made some foolish decision, but all in all it was a good book that had a good surprising ending! I enjoy Patricia Macdonald's books, they are easy reads, hold your interest and very fast reads....
April 22, 2022
WHAT A PAGE TURNER !!
Holy smokes , what a book ! This book had me guessing at every chapter and just when you think you know who did it…BAM nope not that person !! I literally sat up till 5Am grading this book, I just couldn’t put it down !! This is a must read for sure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Holy smokes , what a book ! This book had me guessing at every chapter and just when you think you know who did it…BAM nope not that person !! I literally sat up till 5Am grading this book, I just couldn’t put it down !! This is a must read for sure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
April 24, 2022
Another gripping psychological thriller, so many twists
Oh my, still breathless from the climactic finish. This book has had me on the edge of my seat, from beginning to end. I'm not even going to give the plot away.. My only advice is, make yourself comfortable, you won't be moving till you've finished the book
Oh my, still breathless from the climactic finish. This book has had me on the edge of my seat, from beginning to end. I'm not even going to give the plot away.. My only advice is, make yourself comfortable, you won't be moving till you've finished the book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews