Released yesterday! The next book in the Ben Harper series is here.
NINE HIDDEN LIVES – Robert Gold (Released April 10th, 2025)
You can see my review for TWELVE SECRETS here!
This is book four in the Ben Harper series – and I definitely recommend checking out the rest of the series.
My Thoughts – While I have read one other book in the series, TWELVE SECRETS, I think I might have appreciated some other cameos if I had picked up books two and three before this one. That being said, this can 100% be read as a standalone as the author does give us a refresher at the beginning on who our main characters are and some background (I’ll always appreciate this with these kinds of series). What I do like about this series is that this isn’t from the perspective of a police officer or detective, Ben Harper is an investigative journalist and approaches these cases differently than law enforcement would, or could. This is very much a fast-paced thriller as opposed to a slower building police procedural and I am here for it.
There is a wide cast of characters in this book, and I do remember it being the same way in book one. I think that the author does this well though and things don’t get confusing on which POV we find ourselves in. I liked the parallel stories and how they all came together for one hell of an ending. If you’re looking for something quick and exciting, then this is the series for you!
Book Description:
A town bursting with secrets. One last chance to find my mother’s killer…
Thirty years ago, my mother was found murdered. I remember holding my teddy bear close, listening as the police told my father they couldn’t find her killer. She was only two miles from home when she was brutally attacked and left for dead in her car by the forest-lined highway. They said they interviewed everyone in our small town, but no one saw a thing…
Every year, on the anniversary of her death, I dive back into the case, hoping to uncover something new. But this year, I receive a note that turns my blood to ice:
Stop asking questions while you still can. Don’t make the same mistake as your mother.
I think back to my mother’s last moments. She was a journalist, and before she died, she bravely uncovered terrible accusations of abuse. My hands shake, but now I know I must dig deeper. This threat confirms someone killed her to keep their secrets safe.
But when I find my first lead, a young woman who comes to my workplace, wild-eyed, demanding to speak with me, the police arrive and force her out. Does she know something about what happened in the fog the night my mother was killed? Are the police silencing her too? Are they protecting someone?
People can only keep their secrets for so long, and this town has spent the last thirty years hiding in the shadows. I must bring the truth to light. Even if everyone threatens me. Even if it costs me my life…
A heart-pounding, brilliantly twisty crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot.
About the Author:
Robert Gold co-wrote three James Patterson titles in 2016 for his Bookshot series. Robert started his career as an intern for CNN in Washington DC, before he moved into the publishing world, where he was the nationwide book buyer for Asda/Wal-Mart. He now works in sales for a UK publishing company.
Living in Putney, London, you often might find him running along the riverbank or back through the woods from Barnes. Putney and Barnes are the real-life towns, fictionalised as Haddley and St Marnham in Twelve Secrets. Many of the places in the books can be found in Robert’s hometown.
Twelve Secrets was a top ten Sunday Times bestseller and was published by Sphere in the UK in March 2022. It is the first in a new crime series following journalist Ben Harper as he seeks to uncover the truth surrounding his brother’s gruesome childhood murder. Robert’s own career in journalism serves as an inspiration for his character, Ben Harper.
Jessicamap Reviews 