Friday, February 27, 2009

The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner

As I mentioned in a previous post, for awhile I have wanted to try a book by Meg Gardiner. I have read so much about her and the rave reviews her books get. I picked up one of her books, but it was part of a series and I really felt like I was missing out on a lot by not reading the first in the series. On one of my library runs, I decided to get The Dirty Secrets Club, a stand alone thriller by Ms. Gardiner. It was a good, quick read and I enjoyed it. I give it a B+.

From Amazon:
An ongoing string of high-profile and very public murder-suicides has San Francisco even more rattled than a string of recent earthquakes: A flamboyant fashion designer burns to death, clutching the body of his murdered lover. A superstar 49er jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge. And most shocking of all, a U.S. attorney launches her BMW off a highway overpass, killing herself and three others.Enter forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, hired by the SFPD to cut open not the victim’s body but the victim’s life. Jo’s job is to complete the psychological autopsy, shedding light on the circumstances of any equivocal death. Soon she makes a shocking discovery: All the suicides belonged to something called the Dirty Secrets Club, a group of A-listers with nothing but money and plenty to hide. As the deaths continue, Jo delves into the disturbing motives behind this shadowy group—until she receives a letter containing a dark secret Jo thought she’d left deep in her past, and ending with the most chilling words of all: “Welcome to the Dirty Secrets Club.”

Psychological suspenses are probably my favorite of the suspense genre and this book, with a forensic psychiatrist as the heroine seemed like something straight up my alley. I loved Jo as a main character, and one of the reasons why is because she wasn't afraid to be afraid. Sometimes there are characters who are so "tough" and always brush aside everything and it was refreshing to see a character who was affected by the things happening to her, but not so much that she was a wimp. I also loved the idea of the Dirty Secrets Club and can almost imagine something like that being formed in real life. There are a lot of twisted people out there who get into the thrill of confessing and bragging about the things that they do. The reader knows for the most part who the bad guys are, but there were a few twists and turns who keep you on the edge of your seat. Add in some earthquakes that frightened me, a Michigan girl who has never experienced one, and you have the makings of a great suspense book that is one not to be passed by!

With that being said, I have no more library books checked out! I am almost excited by this fact because I really need to start reading some of my own. I went to another library book sale and picked up 20 books for $4.00 so my collection keeps growing while the books keep sitting there. I hope to have a bit more free time this weekend, so I think I am going to grab a Greg Iles book. I have a few of them and really enjoyed the first one I read by him but sometimes the pure size of the book is a bit daunting. With some free time opening up in the next couple of days, I think I can put a good dent in one. I am also sick right now, which sucks, but I think almost everyone is. What better of an excuse than laying around and reading while sneaking in a few hours here and there at my online job? I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Reading!

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