The Secret Locket by Suzan Stainforth - Revision history

Sue at 11:07, 22 September 2020

2020-09-22T11:07:46Z

Sue at 09:27, 11 March 2018

2018-03-11T09:27:39Z

Sue at 12:02, 24 November 2014

2014-11-24T12:02:54Z

Sue: Created page with "{{infobox |title=The Secret Locket |sort=Secret Locket |author=Suzan Stainforth |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Crime |summary=A young woman makes up her mind that she's going to f..."

2014-11-22T12:21:33Z

Created page with "{{infobox |title=The Secret Locket |sort=Secret Locket |author=Suzan Stainforth |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Crime |summary=A young woman makes up her mind that she's going to f..."

New review

{{infobox
|title=The Secret Locket
|sort=Secret Locket
|author=Suzan Stainforth
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Crime
|summary=A young woman makes up her mind that she's going to find our who killed her twin brother. There's the bones of a good story here but it lacks decent editing.
|rating=2
|buy=No
|borrow=Maybe
|pages=176
|publisher=Matador
|date=April 2012
|isbn=978-1848767850
|website=
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848767854</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1848767854</amazonus>
}}

Librarian Penny Knight was surprised when she came home on day and found a jacket belonging to her twin brother Joseph hanging in the hall. He was ''supposed'' to be in Moscow for six months, working as a croupier. When she went through to the lounge he was lying on the sofa and her immediate reaction was that he was playing a trick on her - until she got closer and realised that there was something dreadfully wrong. And then she saw the blood. His last words were that he was innocent - and that she should look for a necklace in his jacket pocket. He died before he reached hospital. Penny and her parents were devastated - and then they realised that they were being watched.

Every first draft of a novel is perfect, because all it needs to be is ''completed'', but that's when the hard work starts as editing resolves plot holes and copy editing irons out the misused words, grammatical and spelling errors and finally proofreading puts a shine on the manuscript prior to publication. Unfortunately some authors are so buoyed by completing the first draft that they dash to publication and that is what has happened with ''The Secret Locket''. There are the bones of a very good story here but it needs a great deal more work before it becomes an enjoyable read.

I won't dwell on the errors - that would be counter-productive - as there are positives to take away from the book. I liked the character of Penny - initially stunned by the death of her brother and in shock at the way that she found him, she recovers sufficiently to decide that ''she'' is going to find out what happened to him, when the police investigations don't seem to be making much headway. The librarian becomes a feisty young woman prepared to put her own life at risk to find the truth. Joseph's girlfriend, Rubina, is neatly drawn: she's Polish but normally lives in Moscow with her lover, the owner of the casino and has the immigrant's insecurity. One false, ill-considered move could bring everything she's worked so hard to achieve tumbling down and she could be back in Poland and living in poverty. Besides - alcohol is always there.

There's a good pace to the plot and my heart was in my mouth on a couple of occasions as it looked as though Penny would not come out of this alive. There's promise in here - but it does need more work and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

If this type of book appeals to you then we think that you might enjoy [[Blazing Obsession by Dai Henley]].

{{amazontext|amazon=1848767854}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1848767854}}

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 |reviewer=Sue Magee
 |genre=Crime
-|summary=A young woman makes up her mind that she's going to find our who killed her twin brother.  There's the bones of a good story here but it lacks decent editing.
+|summary=A young woman makes up her mind that she's going to find out who killed her twin brother.  There are the bones of a good story here but it lacks decent editing.
 |rating=2
 |buy=No

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=The Secret Locket
 |sort=Secret Locket
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 |date=April 2012
 |isbn=978-1848767850
-|website=
+|cover=1848767854
-|video=
+|aznuk=1848767854
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848767854</amazonuk>
+|aznus=1848767854
 }}

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-Librarian Penny Knight was surprised when she came home on day and found a jacket belonging to her twin brother Joseph hanging in the hall.  He was ''supposed'' to be in Moscow for six months, working as a croupier.  When she went through to the lounge he was lying on the sofa and her immediate reaction was that he was playing a trick on her - until she got closer and realised that there was something dreadfully wrong.  And then she saw the blood.  His last words were that he was innocent - and that she should look for a necklace in his jacket pocket.  He died before he reached hospital.  Penny and her parents were devastated - and then they realised that they were being watched.
+Librarian Penny Knight was surprised when she came home one day and found a jacket belonging to her twin brother Joseph hanging in the hall.  He was ''supposed'' to be in Moscow for six months, working as a croupier.  When she went through to the lounge he was lying on the sofa and her immediate reaction was that he was playing a trick on her - until she got closer and realised that there was something dreadfully wrong.  And then she saw the blood.  His last words were that he was innocent - and that she should look for a necklace in his jacket pocket.  He died before he reached hospital.  Penny and her parents were devastated - and then they realised that they were being watched.
 Every first draft of a novel is perfect, because all it needs to be is ''completed'', but that's when the hard work starts as editing resolves plot holes and copy editing irons out the misused words, grammatical and spelling errors and finally proofreading puts a shine on the manuscript prior to publication.  Unfortunately some authors are so buoyed by completing the first draft that they dash to publication and that is what has happened with ''The Secret Locket''.  There are the bones of a very good story here but it needs a great deal more work before it becomes an enjoyable read.