“Every Single Secret takes you on a journey into a dark, surreal world…A true psychological thriller that will leave you breathless.” —Wendy Walker, bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten and Emma in the Night

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 Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I am what people call guarded. I don’t blog. I don’t post. I don’t share. I don’t love people in that beaming, open-armed way you’re supposed to, but there is a good reason for it. Dark things vein through me, the way precious metal shoots through the heart of a mountain. Dark things that should stay hidden, embedded deep within the rock. It is for the greater good that I stand guard over my mountain, over my past.

 

He’s a locked door, Daphne. And he doesn’t like it if you knock too hard.

 

I can’t afford to be driving you gals into town for this, that, and the other. Around here, if you get a fever, we call the preacher ’cause he lays on hands for free.

 

It hadn’t taken me but a week at the ranch to figure out that Mrs. Bobbie was the ringmaster and Mr. Al was the clown that cleaned up the elephant poop.

 My Review:

 

I quickly fell into this tautly written, captivating, and intriguing tale that essentially held me hostage and on edge from the first sentence to the last few pages. The storyline was unpredictable, fascinating, horrifying, cringe-worthy, and brilliantly crafted. I didn’t want to put my Kindle down and essentially abandoned all plans for the day and left my phone unanswered. Ms. Carpenter must have completed a massive amount of research, as she was spot on with her peculiar and warped characters’ particular oddities, quirks, and disorders, and better yet, still allowed them to be endearing and alluring despite their diabolical tendencies. I was so absorbed by her flawlessly transportive writing I felt myself holding my breath and even bracing for impact more than once. This clever author has cunning and guile and deftly put me right beside her characters in every scene with lush and evocative details. I think she may be onto something with this writing hobby.

About the Author

Goodreads /Amazon

EMILY CARPENTER, a former actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, she now lives in Georgia with her family. BURYING THE HONEYSUCKLE GIRLS is her first novel. You can visit Emily online at emilycarpenterauthor.com