One Last Secret: From the Sunday Times Number One bestselling author of Both Of You comes a gripping psychological crime thriller

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What unravels is predictably dark and dangerous but bizarrely hyperbolic and unbelievable. It’s also really, really repetitive. The characters are all stereotypes (including Dora’s Serbian mother) and the ending feels forced.

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That is more than enough. From here it needs to be a blank canvas. We learn alot about Dora, her past life and her decisions that have shaped the way she lives today. The story is told mostly from her point of view and she is very open about her work and lifestyle. And she makes some good points on how her profession is viewed in society.

Maggie Boyd

A week at a beautiful chateau in the south of France – it should be a straightforward final job for Dora. She’s a smart, stunning and discreet escort and Daniel has paid for her services before. This time, all she has to do is to convince the assembled guests that she is his girlfriend. Dora is used to playing roles and being whatever men want her to be. It’s all about putting on a front. I really warmed to Dora’s character, there were many unlikeable characters in the story and I enjoyed trying to guess what’s going to happen next. A thoroughly entertaining read of revenge, power and wealth….. and murder!

One Last Secret (Audio Download): Adele Parks, Kristin One Last Secret (Audio Download): Adele Parks, Kristin

One Last Secret by Adele Parks took me on quite a ride. I didn’t know what to expect at any given time, and I like that in a thriller. In fact, I usually don’t like super-gonzo twists, but in this case, the ones that occurred were just plausible enough to keep them from being too over-the-top. Dora was an interesting character, hardened by life but still caring enough to help a friend out – at her own peril. The author carefully chooses when to reveal another piece of Dora’s puzzle so that it coincides with what is occurring in the present narrative. The action is mostly set in the beautiful surroundings of a chateau in the south of France and this glamourous location pulled me right in! I definitely felt a sense of unease, tension and confusion as Dora entered this location. I also wanted to yell at her and signal a warning that she should have stayed home with her fiancé. Dora was definitely taking an unnecessary risk that could have been prevented! I was scared that Dora would jeopardise her chance at escaping the game and having her own safe happy ever after thanks to this final jaunt. Parks sets up a narrative stage full of mystery, intrigue, unpredictability and tension. I really took my time to savour this one, which is unlike me as a speed reader. I’m glad I slowed down my intake with One Last Secret as I was bulldozed by this one – in a good way!

During an escape attempt, Dora learns that her captor, the father of her daughter, is also her fiancé’s father and that he hired everyone who was at the house to torture her. She manages to kill the employee during a second escape attempt but doesn’t get away because, when she opens the door to run away …

One Last Secret by Adele Parks: A tension-packed plot – book

Her best friend/ trust fund baby Evan sees her condition, trying to convince her to quit her job as like he did before but when he realizes, Dora has no intention to leave this life behind, he does something unexpected, he PROPOSES! The story is told in the first person for the most part, which might have helped readers better understand some of Dora’s foolish choices but the author doesn’t use her narration to good effect. Rather than allowing us to sympathize with our heroine falling into trap after trap by giving us reasons for her to be that naïve, we instead are simply given a front-row seat to Dora behaving stupidly. This was disappointing since at the start of the novel, Dora is presented as a tough, savvy, worldly-wise woman who knows what’s what. Once she joins Daniel on his trip, she becomes an ingénue style of character, which really doesn’t fit with her previous persona. I won’t go any further, other than to say, that this clever, psychological thriller had me holding my breath with all the twists and turns. A highly entertaining and addictive read where the tension builds to a mind blowing conclusion.

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Adele’s latest novel is “One Last Secret,” a psychological thriller told from the perspective of a high-end sex worker who takes one last job before hanging up her garters for good. It’s about “power, sex, money and revenge,” and is filled with fabulous twists and turns. Dora is a high-end call girl desperate to put the life behind her, but decides to take one last job with someone she trusts.