Secrets (Quick Reads)

by Lynne Barrett-Lee

Two sisters get 'ghostly' calls from a stranger while housesitting.

Genres: Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2006

About the author

Lynne Barrett-Lee


Born in London, I began my writing career as a teenager, when I was ‘discovered’ by a London-based literary agent, Annie Hallam, via a fan letter I sent to an actor who was her friend. Though life and love took precedence and I didn’t actually achieve publication then, I returned to my first love in 1994, as a mother of three, newly transplanted to Cardiff. My first paid-for piece of writing was a short article about being a mature primary school teacher training student, published in the Times Education Supplement. My world changed that day; I have yet to work as a primary school teacher.

I have been a full time author since the mid 1990s. My latest novel, a psychological mystery/thriller, called CAN YOU SEE ME?, probably constitutes one of my proudest achievements as a writer, since it’s a return to the genre I started writing in as a teenager - dark, edgy, ‘underbelly’ fiction, where nothing is as it seems.

I haven’t always been dark though. I also have eight romantic comedy novels and over a hundred published short stories to my name, most of the latter (which is how I learned my craft) appearing in UK Women’s magazines. I have also published two ebook guides to writing fiction, based on the short courses for adults I have taught for Cardiff University since 2009.

I also write a weekly column for the Western Mail Weekend magazine; something I have done since June 2006, with only a week off per year for good behaviour.

I began ghostwriting in 2007 and have since ghosted 26* full-length memoirs, most of which have been UK Sunday Times bestsellers. My titles include Giant George; life with the world’s biggest dog, and The Girl With No Name; the incredible true story of a girl raised by monkeys, which has now been published in 27 countries and is also the subject of a National Geographic documentary. It also led to me being asked to give a TedEx talk – about what it’s like to be a ghostwriter - possibly the proudest, and definitely the most terrifying day of my professional life.

Recent publications include On Duty For The Queen, for former UK Royal Press Secretary Dickie Arbiter, and the heartbreaking story of the Rebecca Aylward murder, Bye Mam, I Love You, which has garnered over 700 five star reviews. I am also the co-writer of the Julie Shaw series of gritty Bradford-based crime memoirs, the first of which, Our Vinnie, went straight into the bestseller lists. The fifth title, Bad Blood, published in October 2016, charted at number one in the UK in its first week.

My most recent ghosted work (and probably my personal favourite) is Fabulous Finn, the story of a now famous police dog, who was stabbed, almost fatally, when on duty with his handler Dave Wardell. Finn (now retired) has gone on to win multiple prestigious awards for his bravery, including a PDSA Gold Medal (the civilian version of the Dicken Medal – see Able Seacat Simon, below) and, most recently, the 2019 Crufts ‘Friends For Life’ award. Finn is also the RPD behind the campaign for Finn’s Law, to strengthen current legislation to protect service animals. It has just passed its third reading in the commons.

(Modesty usually forbids me from shamelessly plugging books I’ve ghosted, but I always make an exception for Finn. It’s a remarkable, heartbreaking, uplifting story, and I’m honoured beyond belief to have been the one to help tell it. )

CAN YOU SEE ME? is published by Thomas and Mercer, and is out on 01.01.20

For more information about me and my work, please visit
www.lynnebarrett-lee.com



Full list of published full-length works

*As well as the titles listed below, I am also the ghostwriter of a series of fostering memoirs (the author name is pseudonymous for confidentiality reasons) for one of the UK’s leading publishers. The first was published in 2011, and the nineteenth title will be published in May 2020.

Psychological thrillers

Can You See Me? (Thomas and Mercer

Reviews

[Erica⭐]

Sisters Megan and Ffion have never had secrets, so when Megan goes to flat-sit all she's expecting is a rest and a change. When a stranger called Jack phones, Megan wonders who he is. Ffion behaves like she's just seen a ghost, and refuses to say any more. So is Jack a ghost? Ffion's not telling and when she disappears too, the mystery deepens. Megan begins to fear for the future. She's always been the one who's looked after her little sister. Is this going to be the one time she can't?

[Arax]

First you think that something existing is going to happen, but soon you realize the exciting thing is just a cheating and that kinds of stuff.

[Liselott]

This book is an example how to scare people off reading short stories in the future. Should come with a warning sign.

[Shahrun]

I didn’t find this very interesting or mysterious. It was more annoying and predictable. I also felt the characters ages didn’t match up with the described life events. Lucky it was only short really.

[Plum-crazy]

A short (only 90 pages) but enjoyable read in which Megan discovers that she doesn't know her sister Ffion quite as well as she thought...not a lot else to say about it! 

[Martene Wilson]

Excellent short story, author is brilliant. Could easily read again 👌🏼✔️

[Hannah]

Megan and Ffion have never had secrets, but when Ffion disappears after a stranger called Jack phones, Megan has all reasons to believe that something is wrong.

This was a simple, okay Quick Read. I liked the relationship between Megan and Tom, and I thought the idea of the daughter added in a nice plot-twist. However, I felt that it was almost too much of a plot to squeeze into such a little piece of text, which is often the case with Quick Reads I’m going through nowadays.

My favourite part was, of course, with the dog who sounded like a Red Setter and just absolutely adorable. I’m a sucker for animals in literature…!

Overall, I’d recommend this for romance lovers, but the idea of it – whilst plausible – was simply too much to fit into a novella this size. Even just a few more, perhaps 10, pages to explain everything when it wasn’t rushed would have been better. I gave it 3/5, so I would’ve preferred… just more to be honest. I still enjoyed it, though, although the story didn’t stay with me.

[Susan Barnes]

Secrets is a clever story with a little mystery, a little romance and a satisfying ending. It is part of the Quick Reads series.

The story focuses on two sisters who supposedly know each other well but it turns out that a secret romance has breed layers of secrets. It's quite amazing how many events have to be re-examined once this relationship comes to light. I enjoyed the way Barrett-Lee slowly leaked information as the secrets started to be disclosed plus the way she left hints along the way.

One of the interesting themes in this book is the idea that once you have genuinely grieved and mourned the end of a relationship it is very difficult to resume that relationship. (A similar idea is found in the movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.)

Overall an enjoyable story.

[Maureen Vincent-Northam]

A novella with sisters Megan and Ffion in the starring roles. When Megan takes a phone call for her sister from the mysterious Jack it piques her curiosity, especially as Ffion appears shocked by the news.

Ffion’s ex husband, who Megan loathes, calls round and it’s through him that Megan eventually learns the truth behind the ‘secrets’.

[Angela]

A lovely little book. A combination of mystery and a love story. Quite a lot to cram into a short read, but very well done.

[Louise Annette Marshall]

Picked up this Quick Reads book an was pleasantly suprised a good story for a short read ,quite good .

[Kathryn]

another freebie, and quick too. really more of a novella than a full length story. I enjoyed it. I did guess part of the point of the book before it was revealed. but that's typical for me.

[Ljbischoff]

Good quick read.

[Jo Notary]

112pgs, romantic suspense