Open Secrets

Maggie Dahl Mystery #2

by Mark McNease

Maggie Dahl returns in ‘Open Secrets.’ It’s been six months since the media circus surrounding the last murder Maggie solved, and a year since her beloved husband David died. The dust seems to have finally settled. Then one morning a customer walks in and asks Maggie to do her a favor.

Soon a body is discovered on a rural New Jersey road. A body Maggie is sure belongs to a local author whose next book was rumored to reveal secrets not everyone wanted known. But were they enough to kill for? And who murdered the woman found in the woods? Maggie is determined to find out, even as her life continues its road back to normal, complete with the possibility of new love. Can she find the answers she seeks in the death of a local celebrity? And will love be part of her life once again when she least expects it?

Genres: Mystery

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2022

About the author

I've recently released 'Blank Page to Bookshelf: From First Sentence to First Sale,' condensing two years of my workshops into one easy to read guide on fiction writing, character creation, and self-publishing.

I've also written horror as M.A. McNease - not a pen name, it's my initials. Books under M.A. McNease include 'I, Warlock,' 'A House in the Woods (1 and 2)', and 'Hell to Pay' (a two-book volume of both House in the Woods books).

I'm the author of the Kyle Callahan Mysteries, two of which have been best sellers on Kindle. In 2022 I released the second Maggie Dahl Mystery, 'Open Secrets,' with Maggie pursuing another killer in sleepy Lambertville, NJ.

My Detective Linda mystery, 'Last Room at the Cliff's Edge', was released in September, 2016, and called a winner by Publishers Weekly. I released the first Marshall James thriller, 'Murder at the Paisley Parrot', in 2017, followed by 'Beautiful Corpse,' 'Final Audition,' and most recently 'Night Flight to Murder Town' in 2025.

'Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery' was released in 2018, followed by 'Open Secrets.'

I have 10 audiobooks currently available (Audible, Amazon, various retailers). My short story 'Stop the Car' was selected as a Kindle Single and is now an audiobook narrated by the amazing Braden Wright. It was selected twice to be included in the Amazon Prime reading library.

For old time's sake I also have two Emmys for Outstanding Children's Program for 'Into the Outdoors', a television show I co-created and wrote for two years that is now in its 17th year.

I live in the New Jersey woods with my husband, Frank, and our two cats, Wilma and James.

You can find me at my website, MarkMcNease.com.

Reviews

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book mainly because it was so melancholy, with I think at least three characters who lost there other halves and were struggling with it, including the main character. Also you got a lot of background information on everything, especially the characters and most of it had nothing to do with the investigation, I know you need some to give depth to the characters but it was just too much for me. I did like the characters and thought when she was investigating Maggie did make for a good main character, puzzling it out. The mystery did pick up towards the end of the book, so I would probably give the series another go.
When a customer asks Maggie if she could get a famous author to sign her book , she had no idea she would end up investigating another murder. With no sign of the author, when a body is found in the woods, Maggie just knows it was her. She might have been famous but she wasn't the nicest person in town. Maggie can't get her death out of her head and the only way to find peace is to once again find a killer.
The narrator was very laid back and easy to understand.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second mystery I've read by this author and, like the first, I found this a pleasant and easy read. The sleuth, a recently widowed woman, is clever and persistent; the plot moves quickly; the characters are well portrayed. A good summer's read.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Narelle Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a freebie in return for an honest review.
One of the things I love about cozy mysteries is that they are such an easy read. The story is easy to follow and the characters are very likeable.
I will have to check out the first book in this series. Open Secrets was easy to follow, but I think reading the first book will make it even better.

[Govno Nichevo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was an okay read. This cozy mystery is an easy read that is entertaining without being demanding.

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those cozy mysteries taken on by an amateur; part Angela Lansbury, part Agatha Christie. The setting is a small town, the protagonist a middle aged woman.

The novel was well-written. Its prose, grammar, syntax, were all crafted with care, but I found the story -- and perhaps the genre -- were not particular incentives to keep me engaged. I disliked Maggie, the main character. I disliked the victim. I did not feel connected to the story or stirred to empathy.

But the story did fit its genre. Readers of cozy mysteries are likely to enjoy this one. And, the novel was well-crafted as a whole.