The Last Secret

A Novel

By: Mary McGarry Morris

Narrated by: Renée Raudman

Mary McGarry Morris has been hailed by the New York Times as "one of the most skillful writers at work in America today." In The Last Secret, she tells the riveting story of Nora Hammond, a woman blessed with the perfect life: a charming husband, two bright teenage children, a successful career in the family's newspaper business, and an esteemed role in the charity work of her New England town. But Nora's comfortable existence threatens to unravel when she learns of her husband's longtime affair - and when the specter of a sordid incident from her youth returns with terrifying force. Confronted by shame and betrayal, Nora suddenly feels dangerously alone. With no one to turn to, she becomes easy prey to a ghost from her past - the cunning, relentless Eddie Hawkins.

A tautly told tale of psychological tension and chilling moral complexity, The Last Secret accelerates to a shattering conclusion as it explores the irreparable consequences of one family's crimes of the heart. The Last Secret burnishes Morris's reputation as one of our most prodigiously gifted writers.

©2009 Mary McMarry Morris (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A wicked psychological thriller." ( The Washington Post)

I wish I had my credit back!

You know you're reading a clunker when the bad guy is more likeable than the protagonist or even the children portrayed in the book. The premise is far-fetched (when Eddie reappears in Nora's life, why wouldn't she call the police?) The main characters are spoiled and self-centered - making it hard to feel sympathetic toward them.

The narrator's reading of the teenaged girl's character (and the small child Lira) is like nails on a chalkboard, whiny and wheedling. Also, way too overwrought when she's reading charged dialogue. Listening to this is a chore.