Title: Every Single Secret
Author: Emily Carpenter
Narrator: Kate Orsini
Published: May 2018, Brilliance Audio
Length: 10 hours 22 minutes
Source: Publisher
Summary:
Emotionally guarded Daphne Amos always believed she’d found a
kindred spirit in her fiancé, Heath. Both very private people, they’ve
kept their pasts hidden from the world, and each other, until Heath’s
escalating nightmares begin to put an undeniable strain on their
relationship. Determined to give their impending marriage the best
chance of succeeding, Heath insists that Daphne join him on a seven-day
retreat with Dr. Matthew Cerny, a psychologist celebrated for getting to
the root of repressed memories. Daphne reluctantly agrees—even though
the past is the last place she wants to go.
The retreat’s isolated
and forbidding location increases her unease, as do the doctor’s rules:
they must relinquish their keys and phones, they’ll be monitored at all
hours by hidden cameras, and they’re never to socialize with the other
guests.
One sleepless night, Daphne decides to leave her room…and
only then does she realize that the institute is not at all what it
seems—and that whatever’s crying out from Heath’s past isn’t meant to be
heard. It’s meant to be silenced.
My thoughts: I just love Emily Carpenter’s books – I have since I first stumbled on her debut novel, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls as an Audible Daily Deal a few years back. She writes Southern Gothic mystery/suspense like no one else…and I find that I get so involved in her stories, I feel like I know the characters by the time I get to the conclusion.
One of the things I love about Emily’s books is that she writes such a good scary, ghost story without involving ghosts – meaning they are creepy and chilling and have all the aspects you would expect in a typical ghost story, but there are no ghosts. I so appreciate this because I really am not such a fan of the whole paranormal genre, but I do a good, chilling, creepy story and I really think Emily Carpenter does that and does it well. This book got to me, it got under my skin with all that was going on – I mean, dead birds? Really! That freaked me out!!!
I loved the characters in this book and the secrets – both Daphne and Heath have such baggage and as we those secrets are ever so slowly uncovered, the book gets more and more delicious! This book kept me on the edge of my seat almost from the get-go, and I never could quite put my finger on where it would head…and I loved that! I also loved that we would head into the past to learn all about Daphne’s past – oh those chapters were so good and juicy! Fraught with tension, as the whole book really is, but still. This book is just the right amount of dark and engaging, without being gory. It’s disturbing without going over the top.
I have loved every book Emily Carpenter has written so far – she is definitely on my must-read list and for good reason. I know I am going to get an atmospheric, addicting story that will keep me engaged from start to finish. I cannot wait for her next book!
Audio thoughts: Kate Orsini excels in this narration – she definitely brought her A-game when it came to narrating this story. Between the unique characterizations she gave each character to the pauses she put in while speaking – which I found so effective at times – I just loved listening to this story.
Author and book were both new to me. I enjoyed this review. I hope I can find this book.
I liked her book The Weight of Lies. This narrator is a new to me narrator, maybe I will try it on audio.