The Deepest Secret

A Novel

By: Carla Buckley

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

What if you did something unforgivable—and had to live with it? This intimate, page-turning family drama for readers of Jodi Picoult explores the profound power of the truths we’re scared to face . . . about our marriages, our children, and ourselves.

Eve Lattimore is barely keeping things together. Her husband works fifteen hundred miles away, leaving Eve to juggle singlehandedly the demands of their teenaged daughter and fragile son. Tyler was born with XP—the so-called vampire disease: even one moment of sun exposure can have fatal consequences. So Eve does what any mother might do: she turns their home into a fortress. Every day, she watches the sun rise and fall, and keeps a close eye on her child. Friendships fall away. Her marriage is on the rocks. Her daughter’s going through something but won’t talk about it. Still, Eve believes that it’s all a matter of time before a cure is found, and everything can resume its normal course.

Until the night she makes a terrible decision, and it’s not only the sun she has to hide from.

Praise for The Deepest Secret

“A taut family drama . . . smart and thrilling.”—People

“Elegant, poignant, and utterly riveting . . . a suspenseful tale of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice that will leave you asking how far a mother really should go to protect her family and wondering about the cost of the secrets we all keep, even from ourselves.”—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia

“Exceptionally moving and unrelentingly suspenseful . . . everything a great novel, and thriller, should be.”—Providence Journal

“Superb . . . The story offers the intricate suspense and surprise of a thriller, along with rich characterizations and nuanced writing. . . . A gripping read and a memorable reflection on the conflicting imperatives of love.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Carla Buckley masterfully portrays an ordinary family trapped in a heart-wrenching crisis.”—William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob

“Fans of Jodi Picoult will enjoy this compelling blend of ripped-from-the-headlines suspense and close-to-your-heart characters.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fear Nothing

Edge Of My Seat!

I loved this book. It held me tight. I loved all the twists. I will put this book on my all time favorites list.

What would you have done?

What would I have done,I kept asking myself as I was drawn into Eve's world during the aftermath of a horrific accident that would forever change the lives of the residents of a quiet suburban street.

Eve, the mother of an XP child, a condition where exposure to sunlight and uv light is eventually fatal, finds herself in the centre of the tragedy. This novel is about the choices Eve makes to protect her child as well as the effect of those choices on the rest of the family and the community.

An intriguing book which I couldn't put down. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

BLEW ME AWAY!

This book was perfect. I haven't enjoyed a book like this one in a very long time. It was just the right length, the narrator was great & the story wove together in such a way that made you crave the next chapter... then the next... I'm a book snob so when I say this one is truly brilliant, I absolutely mean it.

Engaging and Interesting Story

I found this book to be completely engaging. Aside from the focus of the plot, i.e. the mother-son relationship, the son's rare genetic disorder, the marriage, the teen daughter's angst, is the peek into the lives different neighbors, all seen at night through the eyes of the young boy. I thought this perspective especially creative and unique and for that reason along with the compelling story-line, I believe this book deserves 4 stars.

Gripping and Suspenseful

I have never read Carla Buckley before. This audiobook kept me engaged. I listened to it at work and while going to sleep, and also in the car.

Eve would and has done anything for her son. He was diagnosed with a very rare condition called XP which makes him completely intolerant to sunlight. He will die of cancer if he's exposed. Eve has tailored her life around his, being there for him in the day, setting up the perfect environment, living in darkness, etc. This constant care for her youngest son creates a strain on Eve's daughter Melissa and Eve's husband.

One awful day during a torrential rain storm, Even hits her neighbour's daughter with her car and accidentally kills her. The only thing she can think of is covering up the crime so that she can be there for her son, who needed her to survive daily.

The book continues to weigh Eve's conscience and while the police become hot on her trail, she does everything she can to make her look completely innocent and not suspected. Things start to spiral out of control though...

I loved the narrator and the book was great- with the exception of the ending which I found rather lame and it didn't really tie up the issues presented by the book. I would definitely recommend this though-

4 solid stars.