Eleanor Jones can't keep a secret by Amy Doak

Fans of the highly recommended Eleanor Jones is not a murderer will be thrilled to read the second in the series, another thrilling mystery that begs to be read in one sitting. Things have settled down in the small country town of Cooinda for Eleanor and her friends. Eleanor is helping at an aged care home making friends with Nance an elderly patient who admits to witnessing a murder. Although Nance swears her to secrecy Eleanor cannot contain her curiosity. She enlists the help of Jem a volunteer at the local library who is interested in genealogy and they investigate past events and people who have gone missing from the district. The investigation distracts her from her worry about Troy’s glamorous ex who has returned to town, but also leads her into danger as secrets from the past gradually unfold. Can someone with dementia be relied on to remember what has happened many years ago? Is there a murderer hiding among the townspeople?

Eleanor Jones Can’t Keep a Secret is a gripping mystery that I couldn’t put down, finishing it in one afternoon. I loved returning to the small country town and reading about Eleanor and her friends once again. Eleanor is still coming to grips with the idea that she is settled in one place and has friends who care for her. However, she is very uncertain about her relationship with Troy and worries about his glamorous ex, while starting a tentative friendship with Jem at the library. She has been warned off looking into a spate of robberies that have occurred in the district and focuses her attention on investigating Nance’s witness account. But the past and present collide in unexpected and dangerous ways, and she must rely on her ingenuity to overcome the peril that she and her friends face. She also learns some key facts about what a healthy relationship looks like as she navigates the path of friendship.

With its engaging characters and a riveting murder mystery Eleanor Jones Can’t Keep a Secret is a winner. I look forward to the next in the series.

Themes: Mystery, Murder, Friendship, Aged care.

Pat Pledger