March 1987
Ossett, West Yorkshire
A town of flower shows, Maypole parades and Sunday football games. Behind all the closed doors and drawn curtains live hidden truths and shameful lies.
A body is found
WDC Louise Miller’s first case as detective in her hometown is hampered by the sexism and misogyny of small-town policing. Her four years on the force in Manchester have prepared her for this. Along with ally WPC Elizabeth Hines, the pair work the case together.
What truths lie hidden?
As their inquiries deepen, the towns secrets reveal even darker truths that could lead to the identity of the killer. But when a second girl goes missing, Louise realises that some secrets should stay hidden.
Dirty Little Secret is the first book in a new police procedural series and what a brilliant start; thankfully, there's not a long wait for book two as I'm already looking forward to reading more.
Set in Yorkshire in 1987, when policing is still very much a man's job, WDC Louise Miller is first on the scene when the body of a young girl is found in a phone box. Remember those red boxes? Jonathan Peace has captured the era perfectly, not just in the setting but in the misogyny of the police force. It's shocking to think that this wasn't that long ago but I love how Louise gives as good as she gets.
The characters are so well developed that I could easily picture them in my head and I was as hooked by the characters' interactions as I was by the plot. Some of their interactions alternated between making me cringe and making me furious as it's quite unbelievable that people got away with saying such things in the not too distant past. I mean, just that fact that they felt the need to identify a police officer as a woman is jawdropping, but we wouldn't have thought there was anything wrong with it in the 80s. Thankfully, things have changed!
The police procedural element of the novel is brilliantly done and I really enjoyed seeing how the investigation progressed. I had no idea what direction it would go in and the ending is fantastic - it has certainly made me even more keen to catch up with Louise and her sexist team again in the near future.
A great start to a new series, Dirty Little Secret perfectly encapsulates the area and the era whilst keeping the reader entertained and on the edge of their seat. Recommended reading for fans of crime and police procedurals.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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