Reviews

Dirty Little Secret: A J.J. Graves Mystery by Liliana Hart

zepeng's review against another edition

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3.0

3 stars

A fast-paced, easy and fun read. It took me less than a day to finish it.

I think this book has a good balance between romance and thriller. I do enjoy the plot twist too. It really did caught me by surprise. The one thing that I would nitpick would be the abrupt reveal of the perpetrator. Although I do understand the reason why the author wanted the reveal to be a complete shock for the wow effect, I feel like there could be more hints or foreshadows that we readers can pick on and guess around. The reveal was not exactly satisfactory but the explanation given wrapped things up nicely.

That being said, for a crime fiction, it has a good plot, the writing is pretty decent and the I do not find the characters too annoying. A solid read indeed.

ingo_lembcke's review against another edition

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3.0

Fluffy little romance-thriller, a few twists, but not enough meat, although the murders are well done.
Sex is mentioned, but not very explicit. Could have done with more suspense and less romance.
Feel bad, as I got this through a bookbub mail for free, but that should not influence my review.
Not sure I can recommend it, but will read the next book to find out.

julsyx's review against another edition

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3.0

2,75/5

rmhs14's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Great fast pace thriller. Loved the banter between main characters, especially Jack and JJ. Hope rest of the series is as good.

emilyperaza's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ankysbookbubble's review against another edition

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4.0

My guess about the killer's identify was correct and it makes me so happy! xD

lizdaniii's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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jigsawgirl's review against another edition

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4.0

This is the first book in this series that I have read. A good, fast paced, murder mystery, romantic suspense book. I listened to the audio book. I think I would have enjoyed it more if there was both a male and female narrator.

Jack and Jaye had this really easy banter that was witty and often humorous. I think it lightened up what would have been some slightly grisly murders.

There were a couple of things I thought I missed, but wasn't sure because I was listening to the audio book and my mind wandered a bit. I don't think it was the story, but this narrator reading some of the male parts didn't do it for me.

I did wonder about how fast Jaye fell for Brody. I couldn't imagine a coroner letting anyone, especially someone she didn't know have that much freedom in her home or place of business. It didn't sit well with me.

This book did have some twists. The person who I was sure committed the murders, wasn't the murderer at all. The end of the book came as a complete surprise. I am looking forward to reading the next book..

talksanders's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

4.0

jkjoy_books's review against another edition

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2.0

 Liliana Hart’s Dirty Little Secrets is a mediocre mystery novel that only lives up to its initial concept. The story is about a small-town coroner, J.J. Graves, who gets involved in a murder investigation after discovering a body in her morgue. While the idea of a coroner-turned-amateur sleuth is interesting, the execution is disappointing.

There are severe problems with character development in this book. J.J. Graves is a main character who does not bring about any real feelings from the reader. Throughout the story, her actions and decisions seem forced and implausible, so as a reader, it isn’t easy to feel a genuine connection with her.

In addition, the plot is predictable, without much suspense or tension. The twists and turns intended to make the reader wonder what is about to happen are shortly identifiable, making the story stop to impact the reader. Also, the flow of the novel could be more consistent as there are periods that could be faster and more uneventful, making it hard to remain interested.

The writing style in Dirty Little Secrets is also dull. This dialogue reads as forced and unnatural, and the prose of it seems lacking in any real depth or creativity. Often enough, the author tries to weave witty banter between characters, but it falls flat and makes the relationships feel forced.

Though written to cater to readers who prefer reading a light, smooth mystery novel, Dirty Little Secrets fails to leave a lasting impact. It comes across as an utterly forgettable entry in the genre because of its lack of character evolution, predictable plot, and average writing style. As a whole, this is an average book that never realizes its full potential.