The Dirty Secrets Club

Sometimes it’s not such a good idea to go back to the earlier works of an author whose novels I enjoyed, and that proved to be the case with Meg Gardiner, whose Unsub series has been one of my best finds in the thriller/mystery category. Since I enjoyed those books very much, while I was waiting for the fourth Unsub novel to come out I decided to give The Dirty Secrets Club a look, but sadly it did not compare with Gardiner’s later efforts, even though it was a swift, reasonably entertaining read. It’s clear that in the nine years between this book and the first Unsub novel the author honed her skills considerably, so I guess I will limit myself to her newest offerings in the future.

The main character in The Dirty Secrets Club is Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist: her job is to examine the personality and life of the victims of equivocal deaths, to shed some light on the circumstances that brought them to their demise. Jo is quite similar to Gardiner’s other heroine, Caitlin Hendrix, in that she is a mixture of strength and vulnerability, and very determined in her chosen profession - there is a grievous personal tragedy in her past that often weighs on her mind, and she still suffers from the claustrophobic effects of having been trapped in a car during a past earthquake, but her resolve in not letting these problems affect her and her work is indeed one of her most admirable characteristics.

At the start of the novel, Jo is called by San Francisco PD Lieutenant Amy Tang to help in the investigation of a string of murder/suicides that seems to be targeting some of the most notable individuals in the city: a fashion designer blew up his boat, killing himself and his lover; a famous surgeon died of a suspicious heart attack after his son succumbed to a drug overdose; and more recently a US attorney launched her car from an overpass, killing herself and the passengers of a passing vehicle, and seriously wounding her assistant. At the scenes of these events are often present baffling words like “Pray” or “Dirty” and no one is able to understand the reason why these people, who had everything to look forward to in life or career, choose to end their existence in such a publicly dramatic way.

With the latest suicide, that of a sports star who dived from the Golden Gate Bridge, Jo and the police stumble on the existence of the Dirty Secrets Club: its members are prominent figures of society who enlist by revealing their most troubling, most damning secrets, the thrill of discovery probably offset by the conviction of being untouchable due to their position. Someone is however targeting the members of the club, someone with a powerful grudge and a driving need for vengeance, and soon enough Jo will find herself enmeshed in this mysterious person’s plots….

As I said at the start of this review, The Dirty Secrets Club does not compare, both narratively and character-wise, with the author’s more recent novels, although I have to admit that the story is an engaging one and the need to understand the mystery at its roots is a powerful motivator to keep on reading, but unfortunately the plot is a bit confusing at times and is burdened by some long expositions that at times hobble the pace, particularly toward the end when the Bad Guy falls prey to the trope-y compelling need to Tell Everything Before The End, which to me often robs of any drama what should be a tense situation.

Still, the story remains a reasonably compelling one and Meg Gardiner’s writing - even in these earlier stages of her career - takes you along for the ride with little effort, which proves to be a great help in suspending one’s disbelief at the more eye-rolling plot instances. Certainly this was not my favorite pick from this writer’s production, but it was an… honest story - for want of a better word - and one I don’t regret reading at all.

The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner
Book #1 in the Jo Beckett series
4 Stars

Synopsis:
As a forensic psychiatrist or "dead-shrinker", Dr. Jo Beckett works with the police on cases in which the manner of death (accident, homicide, suicide) is unclear. In this debut book, Jo is called in when an up-and-coming DA is killed in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Once Jo begins digging it becomes clear that the young attorney was involved in a sinister organization whose members of being targeted. Can Jo stop the conspirators before she becomes one of their victims?

Review:
Well-written with a solid cast of characters including the lead, Jo Beckett, and an extremely eerie villain. Jo’s character is well-developed with the aid of some flash-back scenes that contribute to rather than detract from the progression of the plot. She has just the right mix of strength and vulnerability to engage the reader. The plot is interesting, has plenty of twists and turns, and comes to a compelling conclusion.
Recommendation:You couldn't go wrong with it.

Starts out quick, lots of action. Then settles into engaging story telling. I enjoyed the book; the ending was not what I expected. I'll be keeping my eye out for the other books by this author.

In einem geheimen Club erzählen sich Reiche und Betuchte ihre schmutzigen Geheimnisse und werden daraufhin erpresst. Jo Beckett, die forensiche Psychologin, hilft in diesem Fall.
Ich muss ehrlich sagen, dass mir bei diesem Hörbuch weder Sprecherin noch Story besonders gefallen haben. Die Sprecherin ist ein Beispiel dafür, dass nicht jede Schauspielerin auch gut vorlesen kann. Sie liest fade und eintönig, manchmal dann unpassend moduliert, also insgesamt nicht besonders gut.
Und das Buch ist ebenfalls ziemlicher Quatsch. Es gibt total bescheuerte Metaphern (ich glaube,es kommt sogar ein Himmel vor, der so blau ist wie ein verblassender Bluterguss). Die Story ist nicht ganz folgerichtig, was auch an den Hörbuchkürzungen liegen kann.
Aber auch die Moral und Werte sind hier sehr willkürlich verteilt: Ein Footballstar vergewaltigt mit einer Gruppe Kumpels ein Mädchen. Später steigt er innerhalb des Clubs zum "Schwarzen Diamant" auf, muss also auf jeden Fall auch weiterhin noch etwas Schlimmes gemacht haben. Er ist aber im Buch definitiv ein Opfer und Sympathieträger.
Ein kleiner Ganove wird von einer Pornodarstellerin und einem anderen Mann gedemütigt, schwer verletzt, so das er behindert bleibt (u.a. verliert er seine Stimme) und um hunderttausende Dollars beraubt. Er ist aber definitiv ein absoluter Bad Guy, den es zu bestrafen gilt.
Ehrlich gesagt, ich kann immer noch nicht ganz verstehen, was an Meg Gardiner so gut sein soll.

Interesting enough story but I've a few doubts about the execution as I simply lost track on a couple of occasions why the main character, Jo Beckett (forensic psychiatrist) would end up in the situations she finds herself in - why does she become the focus of the bad guy's ire rather than the lead police detective? Didn't make sense to me. That said there was enough twists and turns to keep you guessing but the ultimate ending I could have done without as it seemed like it had been contrived to portray a previously incidental character into the arch-conspirator. First book in a series but hasn't convinced me that this is one series I have to follow.

I almost put this book down after the first few pages, when it seemed too tawdry and grim, without a redeeming storyline or characters. I'm glad I stayed with it. It's a fast-paced, grisly thriller with several quirky but very likable (and presumably recurring) main characters. Sometimes I shy away from thrillers that seem to place more value on grossing me out than thinking about the characters. I almost consigned this to the gross-out pile, and that would have been a mistake. Recommended, with the extra dash of excitement due a vivid San Francisco setting - with earthquakes!

This was recommended by BDB and because I trust his judgment I decided to try it in spite of my misgivings. This is more “gritty” than the usual mysteries I read but I have found myself expanding my comfort zone since I’ve been on LT. I’m glad I accepted the challenge. The story was absorbing, the characters interesting and well drawn, the writing was wonderfully evocative and descriptive and the setting was San Francisco, the city of my birth and one of my favorite cities in the world. Although this would be probably be better classified as a “thriller” or at least a suspense novel there was enough “puzzle” in the plot to keep me happily guessing what was going on and kept me turning pages (I read it in two big gulps). I was especially intrigued by the protagonist’s occupation of “forensic psychologist” working as a consultant with the police. This is the first in a series about Dr. Jo Beckett and I am looking forward to more. I hope Lt. Amy Tang of the SFPD will also return in the next novel. Recommended

This was my first Gardiner and I was not disappointed. This moved very fast and I read 90% in one sitting. You don't discover the true bad guy until the very end. From start to finish this is an action packed gasp of a ride.

I was glad to discover that there will be at least one more installment for Jo Beckett's character.

Awesome read! I enjoyed the audio version of this book and had a hard time pulling the plug. I found myself listening to this book at any and all moments of the day because I couldn't put it down! This was my first Meg Gardiner and I know that I'll be checking out other books by her in the near future.
I never knew about that there was such a position as a forensic psychiatrist, so Jo's job in this book was eye-opening. It was interesting and she was such a great character. While there were many characters in the book, Jo is the main one and the only one that is truly developed. In fact, I can't even remember the names of many of the side characters. They just weren't that critical to the story. But, that's not a negative. I liked getting to know Jo and really enjoyed the plot line of this book. It was something different but not so far fetched that it was unbelievable. I find that the more mystery/suspense books I read, the more they all seem to run together, but this one wasn't run of the mill for me. I'd like to listen to this one again, or read it the second time around just to see if I'd pick something up that I missed the first time.
Overall, great book! Fun, fast and entertaining. I highly recommend it!

Good, but not great. I liked China Lake better. I do not understand the ringing endorsement by Stephen King for this author. I'm not saying I will not read more of her books, but I do not find them to be at the highest level of mystery and suspense novels I love to read.

Meg Gardiner got the idea for The Dirty Secrets Club after visiting a Web site where secrets are posted anonymously. Silly, sad, weird and sometimes dirty, these secrets are, at times, fascinating. She took the premise and wrote a really great story where characters are caught up in a Dirty Secrets Club. Jo Beckett, forensic psychiatrist, is called in when a prominent attorney dies in a very questionable way. From that point on, time is running out for people who are linked to this attorney and to the mysterious and deadly victim who wants revenge because of a very nasty secret they all share.

Meg brings us right into this secretive world with twists and turns that will keep the readers on the edge of their seats. Her smooth use of the language just flows so nicely--creative, witty and smart, I haven't read a Gardiner book yet that has let me down.

I have only one complaint about DSC; I am a fan of her Evan Delaney series, so it was difficult to get hooked into this main character where I cared about her well-being. This is the fault of the reader, not the author.

Jo Beckett's story is told in flashbacks, and although well written, it delayed my acceptance of her as a great protagonist. I wish her backstory would have just been laid out in one big chunk, but Meg so deftly works her personal history into the framework of the whole piece, I can't imagine it working as well my way. (That's why Meg's the author and I'm not. :-)). The story was filled with suspense and intrigue. I ultimately liked Jo Beckett, but I'm pretty sure I'll like her even better in the next book.

San Francisco is experiencing an earthquake when the 49ers star receiver, Scott Southern, is sneaking into his attorney's evacuated officer tower with an assistant district attorney, Kallie Harding. He's there to complete a dare and she's there to witness it and provide the proof. It's all part of "The Dirty Secrets Club." But when Kallie drives off a bridge, Scott jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge, and other high-power members of the club also end up dead, Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist, makes it her mission to find out what exactly is going on with this mysterious club.

I listened to this book on audio (please excuse me if I've misspelled names) and it was read by Susan Ericksen. Not only do I find her to be the best female reader I've encountered so far, but she is among the best overall. Her distinctive voices for all the characters coupled with her perfect balance of dramatic effect made the book a joy to listen to.

The characters and plot in this book were rather time-appropriate considering the members of the "Dirty Secrets Club" are all people in position of power who essentially believe they can get away with anything BECAUSE of their positions. Despite its tie-in to current events, it's still a disturbing facet of human...or at least American psyches.

There were a couple elements about the plot that bothered me as far as logic went, but it still made for a great crime fiction story. The ending got a little carried away, I thought. Without exposing too much, it was just a case of every time you thought the end had come, some other disaster struck Jo Beckett. The poor woman couldn't cut a break to save her life. And after awhile I found myself thinking, "oh, come on already!"

While there wasn't a lot of humor in the book, there was Ferd. I LOVED Ferd and his monkey Mr. Peebles. For me they stole the show. The image if Jo carrying a duct taped monkey into a computer supply store, her hair and clothes covered in shampoo was just too funny.

Where has Meg Gardiner been hiding? This was fabulous! It’s been a while since I’ve been so taken with a new (or new to me) suspense writer. The action in this book starts almost immediately with a crazy dare and the death of a U.S. Attorney. Jo Beckett is a really interesting character with a profession that I haven’t seen explored before (if it actually even exists!) — forensic psychology. Instead of determining how someone died, it’s Jo’s job to determine the why, not only to help with the official police investigation, but also to provide closure to the family of the victims. There are tons of twists in this story as it unfolds, along with a solid cast of characters. Each one is their own person, from Jo’s quirky next-door neighbor to the spunky detective she’s working with to the paramedic with a tie to Jo’s tragic past. And what is this club really about? Sex? Money? Revenge? The relief of unburdening oneself? This will most definitely not be the last Meg Gardiner book I read.

I liked this book. The characters were interesting and enticing - gotta love Gabe. The secrets were dispicable on many levels, not just to the person with the secret, and effected many lives in the book. I would be interested in reading more books with this main character.

I read this book because of the cover blurb from Stephen King to the effect that Meg Gardiner is the next great thriller writer. Well, King and I must have very different tastes. The book is a hopless mish-mash of nonsensical plot turns, implausible developments, incredible leaps in deductive logic on the part of the protagonist, and then an utterly ludicrous chase through the streets of a quake-ravaged San Francisco in which, miraculously, there is not a single soul present to aid our heroine and her young charge in their desparate attempt to evade the killer and his evil mastermind. This is only my personal opinion, but any story that depends on a natural disaster for a major plot development is to be taken with a serious grain of salt. This book was a complete and frustrating waste of time.

With an endorsement by best-selling author Stephen King and a vast majority of those writing suspense fiction today, you have to wonder why Meg Gardiner hasn't broken through in a big way here in the United States. From what I understand, she's published several successful novels in the UK, all of which are being published here over the next several months.
After reading "Dirty Secrets Club," I can see why she has the ringing endorsement of Mr. King and others. And I can definitely see her being the next "big thing" not only in the mystery/suspense genre but also in the publishing world as a whole.

Set in San Francisco, "The Dirty Secrets Club," is a secret society of people, all of whom have a dark secret from their past that they've shared with members of the group. Run in cells to keep one person from having too much power, members of the group are dying at the rate of one every three days, all in spectacular fashion and in a way that looks like suicide. The latest victim works for the district attorney's office and is one of the founding members of the club.

After her death, the case is given a high priority to be solved, leading to foresnic pyschologic Jo Beckett being brought onto the case. Beckett's job is to explain the why of the death and the pyschological state of the victim of a crime. But just like the victims, Beckett has her own secret from the past she doesn't want brought into the light of day.

Fast paced and exhilerating, "The Dirty Secrets Club" is one part pyschological drama, one part character study, one part suspense thriller and one part mystery. Gardiner shifts efortelessly from scene to scene and follows several characters in the story, weaving together a story that is suspenseful, exciting and one hell of a good read. I will warn you that this is not a book to read as you're getting ready to turn out the light and need to be up early the next day. Not only can Gardiner draw you into her universe with the story unfolding, but her writing style is effortless and addictive to read. You'll find yourself up way past bedtime, just wanting to read one more chapter to see what happens next.

Along the way, there are revelations, twists and turns to the story all of which are surprising and well set up by the early stages of the story. Nothing comes entirely out of left field, making the reader roll their eyes. Instead, the twists will shock and then begin to make sense based on what we know about the situation and the characters.

Meg Gardiner could be the next big thing in the writing world. But don't let it be a dirty secret...share her writing and this great novel with not only yourself but everyone you come in contact with. This is a great book and I highly recommend it

Good read, I only wish ending were longer. I loved the whole development and how most everthing was ironed out in the end. I hate loose ends in "non series" books.