A Ben Harper Thriller: Book 1
Publication Date: August 2, 2024
I should hate you. I should want you dead for what you did to my sweet, blue-eyed boy. But you’re the only person who can give me the answers I need. What really happened the night you killed him?
It’s twenty years since my teenage brother was murdered and my mother took her own life with a broken heart. I buried myself in writing to numb the pain, but when the police knock at my door and tell me my brother’s killer has just been found murdered, my heart stops dead: the killer had letters from my mother written just days before she died.
My mother believed someone else was there that night. As the police search my home, my head races with a million questions. Did my mother really kill herself, or did someone get to her before she could find out the truth?
Under the guise of writing an article, I press old friends and neighbours for answers. But why do they dodge my questions? What are they so afraid of? Is there anybody in this small town I can trust?
I pore over my mother’s letters late into the night until I discover a family secret that turns my blood to ice. Everything I thought I knew about the night my brother was murdered is a lie.
As I get closer to the truth, another body drops. Someone in this close-knit town will stop at nothing to keep their secrets. Can I find them before another innocent life is taken?
A twisty, pulse-racing new crime thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot.
Journalist Ben Harper excels at investigative articles. However, when his boss prompts him to write about the 10th anniversary of his own personal tragedy, Ben’s definitely not interested.
That changes after police show up with new information linking Ben’s mother to letters found in a murdered woman’s apartment. With Twelve Secrets, author Robert Gold launches the first installment into a tightly-written tale of suspense featuring Ben.
The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, with Ben’s chapters delivered via first person. It’s interesting to see how the author lays out what initially appears to be unrelated story arcs. As the story takes shape, unpredictable and shocking revelations sends the action in a different direction.
At the heart of the story is a son’s quest to piece together two seemingly separate events, both resulting in the loss of his family members. The deeper Ben digs, the more unexpected facts he uncovers.
Twelve Secrets serves up a fresh crime thriller with top-notch characters and a plot that will leave readers holding their collective breath until the last page is turned.
Originally from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Robert Gold began his career as an intern at the American broadcaster CNN, based in Washington DC. He returned to Yorkshire to work for the retailer ASDA, becoming the chain’s nationwide book buyer. He now works in sales for a UK publishing company. Robert now lives in Putney and his new hometown served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Haddley in Twelve Secrets. In 2016, he co-authored three titles in James Patterson’s Bookshots series.