How have I not read anything by this amazingly talented author before!! A mistake that I am so glad I have now rectified by reading this outstanding book! What a read this is and one that will have you up until all hours reading it, just like I did. The only thing stopping me reading this in one sitting was my family Christmas celebrations and if this wasn’t the case I could have done it easily. Between us though, there were times I did disappear to sneak a couple of cheeky chapters in throughout the day! With a chilling and captivating cover, a plot that keeps you in its grip until the last page, the beautiful sea side setting in the fictional Purity Island, well developed characters and spectacular writing, this book has it all and it is definitely a contender to be part of my best books for 2020. The plot of this story drew me in straight away and had me hooked! Imagine living with the guilt of your best friend being murdered on the night when she helped you out to babysit so you could go out on a date. There would be nothing worse and this is what Nell has lived with for the last eighteen years. To make matters worse, the murder of Lizzie was never solved. Now living in Chicago, having left Purity years ago she finds herself returning when she needs to escape from her abusive boyfriend. Inheriting her aunts guesthouse when she passes away, this is the perfect place for Nell to go but not everyone is happy she is back, especially Sam the brother of Lizzie who still blames Nell for her murder. When strange things start to occur, Nell is terrified that her boyfriend has found out where she is or could it be Sam out to gain his revenge against her? When revealed, it will shock you! In terms of the characters, there are quite a few, but they are all integral to the story and Keri has done a fantastic job with them all and each one comes to life through the pages extremely well, even the unlikeable ones! Sometimes having so many characters in a story can be quite overwhelming for me, but Keri does a great job in ensuring that each one’s role is clear and there is never any confusion. For me the standout was definitely Nell. As the main protagonist she carries the story on her shoulders well. Continuing to blame herself for her best friends murder and living in an abusive relationship, my heart just went out to her. On top of this, she also lives with anxiety. Being a sufferer myself, I thought Keri did an amazing job at conveying this so realistically. Another favourite was definitely chief of Purity police Alex Cutler. When first introduced to him, I wasn’t sure but as the story progressed I really enjoyed his character. As I mentioned at the start of this review Keri’s writing is spectacular and she has such a gift of keeping the reader engaged. She is also a master at building up tension and suspense throughout. I was on the edge on my seat so many times and at one point I nearly fell off! True story! I also enjoyed how an additional layer was added to the story with a subplot to another mystery when Nell discovers the name Sarah written a number of times on a wall in the attic of the guesthouse. There wasn’t a big focus on this to start with and I was wondering how it was all going to come together, but when the story moved to Sarah’s point of view, this is when it really kicked off. It really compliments and ties into the main story seamlessly as well as its part it plays into the thrilling conclusion, which also pulled at my heartstrings. All up this is one hell of a read and I am so glad that Keri is now on my radar and I can’t wait to read what I hope will be many more books to come from her. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to read and review Deep Dark Secrets which I can’t recommend highly enough. Thank-you to Heather Fitt from Bloodhound Books for inviting me to the publication day party and for providing me with a copy of the ebook of Deep Dark Secrets which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Previously been published under the title The Darkness Beneath Nell, running from an abusive partner, returns to her aunt's home .. a place that her partner does not know even exists. This is not the only secret she has. As a teenager, she was hired to babysit. She had a friend cover for her so she could spend some time with her boyfriend at the time. That night, intruders broke in and killed her friend. She has never forgotten nor has she never stopped feeling guilty. Upon her return, she finds that not everyone is happy to see her. Her friend's brother, in particular, heartily blames Nell and makes it clear that she is unwelcome there. Someone has targeted Nell in a scare campaign. Her friend's brother? Has her abusive boyfriend found her? Or someone even closer? Suspenseful from the start, it becomes more so as the story progresses. Suspects are many..and they all bear watching. There are secrets that someone will kill to protect and Nell is front and center. With a possible new romance in the making. I enjoyed how Nell and Alex, police chief, related and interacted with each other. As with most families, there are problems, some small, some insurmountable. I liked how everything meshed for a terrific reading. Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound books for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I have read a couple of Keri's books now and those that I have read, I really enjoyed. I read the synopsis for 'Deep Dark Secrets', which was previously released as 'The Darkness Beneath', and it certainly sounded like my kind of read- a dark, twisted, psychological thriller that could mess with your mind as it were. As soon as I started reading I knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a read. I wasn't wrong either because I throughly enjoyed 'Deep Dark Secrets' but more about that in a bit. I wasn't sure how to take Nell at times and although I occasionally felt sympathy for her, I can't say that I warmed to her much. Nell was supposed to be the babysitter for two young children but she wanted to go elsewhere and so a friend stepped in at short notice. The stand in babysitter was killed and Nell has felt guilty ever since. I might have read too many crime or thriller novels because I found it a bit suspicious that the night she arranges for a babysitting stand in is the same night that the babysitter is killed. The adult Nell is in an abusive relationship with Caleb, who controls everything that Nell does and if she does something that Caleb doesn't like then he punishes her in one way or another. Nell finally finds the courage to leave and to go to her late Aunt's house on Purity Island, which also happens to be where Nell herself is from and where the babysitter was killed. Not everybody is willing to let Nell forget what happened and a series of incidents happen which unnerve Nell somewhat. The question is: who is tormenting Nell and why? Well for the answer to that question and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you. Oh my blooming word, 'Deep Dark Secrets' was one hell of a read and then some. I became addicted to reading this book from the moment I opened the front cover as it were. It was if the book developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn't willing to break. I made the fatal mistake of starting to read this book before I went to bed and let's just say I found myself reading into the wee small hours of the morning. I also found that after the lights were out, I was jumping at every little noise I heard. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters and over half a dozen chapters later I was still sat there reading. I became extremely reluctant to put the book down for any reason because I needed to know what fate had in store for Nell and whether or not she was being tormented. I soon got to the end of the book, which I had mixed feelings about. Don't get me wrong I was pleased to know how the story concluded but at the same time I was enjoying the author's writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just didn't want the book to end. Keri Beevis has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Without my realising it, she draws me into the story from the start and then ensures I can't put the book down. In other words she keeps my attention from start to finish and she doesn't let it wander at any point. Usually I have the attention span of a gnat and I am easily distracted but not in this case. I was so into the reading zone that my attention didn't wander and I was able to concentrate for longer than usualy. Keri uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I felt as though I was part of the story myself. I felt myself going through every emotion that Nell was going through. When she was creeped out or she jumped at something she heard or saw then so did I. In short, 'Deep Dark Secrets' was one hell of a creepy read and then some, but I loved every single minute of it. I will definitely be recommending this book to other readers. I look forward to reading more of Keri's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.