Rizzoli and Isles is one of the few crime fiction series I have stuck with over the years. I just love the regular characters so much andthere’s always a decent helping of stuff about them, rather than just the crime. I Know a Secret is the 12th book in this series, starring Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles.

We’re growing old together. We’ve both seen too much death.

The narrative goes between third person, following Jane and Maura, and the first person narrative of Holly, a book publicist. Early on there are signs that Holly could be a sociopath but is she actually guilty of anything?

Jane is investigating two seemingly unrelated murders, ones where Maura cannot identify the cause of death. In both cases the bodies have been mutilated after the victim is dead, possibly in symbolic ways, but there’s nothing else to connect them.

Meanwhile Holly is aware of these deaths, and another which is linked. She knew the victims as a child, but is she a victim or a suspect? It takes a while for the detectives to get caught up and find the link, which I can find irritating sometimes but it’s a fast-paced page turner and I was glad to catch up with the characters.

This case brings Maura to Daniel Brophy’s door once more, but she swears it’s only in a professional manner. Jane still hasn’t forgiven him for breaking her friend’s heart. Another person Maura had sworn to stay away from, but for different reasons, was her birth mother, who is now dying of cancer.

Middle-aged women were too often overlooked, so invisible that they failed to show up on anyone’s radar. Everyone focused on the pretty young girls and strapping young men. But older women were everywhere, hiding in plain view.

Jane’s life is pretty peachy, with her daughter doing well and Gabriel’s sort of in the background here but still supportive. Her only personal thing in this instalment is her parents’ relationship. They’re back together but Angela is starting to lose her patience. I actually think this book leaves all the characters in a good place…which makes me wonder if this is the end?

Note this book contains references to child abuse. There’s usually a specific type of criminal law or procedure looked at in these books and this one is around the psychology of child abuse cases, hysteria and unreliability of young witnesses.

I Know a Secret is published by Transworld and will be available in hardback and ebook editions from 10th August 2017. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.