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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN num: 9780525950660
ISBN number: 0525950664
Label: Dutton Adult
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: June 12, 2008
Publishing house: Dutton Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 56188
Studio: Dutton Adult
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Introducing the writer Stephen King trumpets as “the subsequent suspense superstar”
Recently Stephen King devoted an entire Entertainment Weekly column to Meg Gardiner, proclaiming her “as good as Michael Connelly and far better than Janet Evanovich.” How is it possible, he wondered, that this Californian was published only in Britain? Starting now, suspense fans on this side of the pond can get their fix right here: Dutton is proud to introduce Gardiner’s brand-new series heroine, Jo Beckett, in The Dirty Secrets Club.
An ongoing string of high-profile and very public murder-suicides has San Francisco even more rattled than a string of recent earthquakes: A flamboyant fashion designer burns to death, clutching the body of his murdered lover. A superstar 49er jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge. And most shocking of all, a U.S. attorney launches her BMW off a highway overpass, killing herself and three others.
Enter forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, hired by the SFPD to cut open not the victim’s body but the victim’s life. Jo’s job is to complete the psychological autopsy, shedding light on the circumstances of any equivocal death. Soon she makes a shocking discovery: All the suicides belonged to something called the Dirty Secrets Club, a group of A-listers with nothing but money and plenty to hide. As the deaths continue, Jo delves into the disturbing motives behind this shadowy group—until she receives a letter containing a dark secret Jo thought she’d left deep in her past, and ending with the most chilling words of all: “Welcome to the Dirty Secrets Club.”
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Rated by buyers 
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Dirty Secrets Club is the very first book in a new series from Gardiner about Jo Beckett. I found this book to be shadow less intense than her series about Evan Delany, because there is slightly less urgency in forensic psychiatry, though in this case Beckett is racing against time to prevent further murder-suicides from occurring. The plot was not quite as fine tuned as her other series, but still a dramatic page turner. Although you are introduced to the villains quite early on in the novel, there are still lots of nice twists along the way.
I think this was a great introductory novel for this series, and her very first publication in the states. If you want a true sense of Gardiner, though, I highly recommend that you start with the Evan Delany series, now available in paperback here in the US, of which China Lake: An Evan Delaney Novel (Evan Delaney Mysteries) is the very first novel.
Rated by buyers 
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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 subsequent 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 subsequent "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 subsequent 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 subsequent 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
Rated by buyers 
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This novel kept me turning the pages so quickly that I didn't actually stop to analyse the story. Which is probably a good thing: I'm not convinced that the various elements hang together well enough to provide a totally satisfying whole. Does it matter? Well, not to me. I was looking for an escapist novel and this book delivered.
There is a lot of action in this novel: not always coherent and not always believable. That will matter to some readers, and ordinarily it matters to me. But sometimes, it is good to suspend reality and just hop onto the rollercoaster.
Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist who profiles victim's lives in order to try to help solve their deaths. Lieutenant Amy Tang calls Jo Beckett to the crime scene after a high speed pursuit in San Francisco ends with four people dead and five injured. So, why did Callie Harding drive her car through a bridge railing? What is the Dirty Secrets Club, and what can Jo do to try to prevent what appear to be a related series of murder/suicides by high profile people? Jo herself looks to be an interesting character as do many of the other `good guys' in this novel.
This was the very first Meg Gardiner novel I've read, and it probably won't be the last. I'm intrigued without (yet) being totally hooked.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Rated by buyers 
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I was so excited to read this book. The plot sounded original and inventive and there are many positive reviews here. Sadly, none of it happened for me. I loved the idea of a forensic psychiatrist. How original. And the idea of a dirty secrets club was very intriguing.
The opening scene which I think was supposed to be thrilling and a shocking intro was just over the top and not realistic in my opinion. As the novel goes on it didn't improve much. The author clearly can write well. That is not the problem here. Usually when I read a book I give it like 75 pages and then if I just can't bear to pick it up I move on to another. That was the case with this one but it was well written and still seemed to be propelling forward just a little under the level of true excitement that I gave it 150 pages. Sadly, at that point I found the characters one dimensional. We knew a little about the life of Jo Becket, the forensic psychiatrist. But she was not a fully developed character. And the plot which had a few minor hits at possible suspense never gelled and just lost me.
Reviewers say this is an exceptional thriller with shocks and twists galore. I don't know where they were. Maybe they all popped up in the last half but a reader should not be boringly led on for half a novel before the action begins. I hate to trash a novel and that really isn't what I am doing here. I thought the idea had promise and feel that the writer can write as I said but I can in no way call this book a thriller. It certainly was not the worst book of the year as someone else said, just not the best from this author. The promised exciting suspenseful plot just did not happen.
It is very sad to pick up a book you highly anticipate reading just to be led nowhere. I leave it up to you to form your own opinion.
Rated by buyers -
Like many Americans, I very first read the name Meg Gardiner in a column that Stephen King, probably her fiercest champion, wrote in Entertainment Weekly more than a year ago. King decried the state of the United States publishing industry, which had overlooked Gardiner, a native Californian who now lives in England. The fact that her novels weren't available in the U.S. was a publishing shame, King argued; here was an unsung, talented "suspense superstar" who "deserves an audience." Now that I've read THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB, her very first novel to be published in the U.S., I'm beginning to see what King was talking about.
THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB is actually the start of a new mystery series for Gardiner, whose previous novels have revolved around the character of Evan Delaney. Her latest focuses on Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist who lives and works in San Francisco, which, during the course of the novel, is being rocked by a series of increasingly destructive earthquake tremors. This is the last thing Jo needs; although she's professionally savvy and competent, this tough rock climber also has some emotional scars from the past, one of which is linked to a long-ago earthquake.
Jo is going to need to grit her teeth and overcome all her phobias and fears, however, as she tackles one of the most extraordinary cases of her career --- a case that will challenge her to delve into her own hidden secrets. The story opens with the death of Callie Harding, a prominent prosecutor, in an apparent murder-suicide. Callie drives her brand-new luxury car off a bridge and onto a shuttle bus below. Jo and the police find important clues on Callie's body, though --- the words "Dirty" and "Pray" written in lipstick. It turns out that Callie's demise is just the latest in a string of violent deaths of rich and prominent San Franciscans. Jo begins to suspect that these people are connected via membership in the so-called Dirty Secrets Club, an organization with which Callie seems to have been intimately involved.
The club invites members to join by confessing (and proving) their darkest, most shameful secrets. But it hasn't stopped there; a series of dares has pushed its thrill-seeking members to commit new, more shocking acts. Is it possible that one of their former members is taking revenge on a dare gone wrong? Or is the club, with its obvious potential for blackmail and public humiliation, simply crumbling under its own weight? When Jo herself is invited to join the Dirty Secrets Club, she knows she must not only uncover the truth, but also the skeletons in her own closet.
Jo Beckett is a compelling and likable heroine, and her blend of toughness and emotional vulnerability should be a good foundation for this new crime series. Some readers may quibble that Jo, a practicing psychiatrist, seems to focus more on sleuth work and intuition than she does on medicine and psychology. But that's a minor point in what is otherwise a terrific suspense novel, as high-octane and fast-paced as Callie Harding's BMW. When Stephen King talks, publishing people listen --- and fans should rejoice as this new star of suspense finally gets her chance with audiences on this side of the Atlantic.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
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