Review: Her Final Secret - Paul J. Teague

Review: Her Final Secret - Book #5 Detective Hollie Turner Series - Paul J. Teague - November 2024

You know that feeling when you're mindlessly scrolling through your Kindle library at 11 PM, trying to avoid the mounting TBR pile staring at you accusingly? Yeah, that was me last week. Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you're procrastinating – and that ferris wheel cover practically grabbed me by the eyeballs and demanded attention.

Here's the thing about jumping into a series at Book #5: it's either going to work brilliantly or leave you completely lost. Thankfully, Paul J. Teague knows how to write a standalone that doesn't alienate newcomers while still rewarding longtime readers. I had zero background with Detective Hollie Turner, but within chapters I was completely invested in her story.

The dual timeline structure absolutely works here. We bounce between 1999 and the present day, watching nineteen-year-old Hollie experience the trauma that shapes her entire career path. Her friend Moira vanishes at Hull Fair – no body, no answers, just devastating uncertainty. Fast-forward twenty years, and Hollie's back at the same fair, now as a detective investigating a murder that eerily connects to her past.

What hooked me wasn't just the mystery mechanics , but how Paul J. Teague explores the weight of unresolved trauma. Hollie's determination to give other families the closure she never received feels authentic rather than contrived. The Hull Fair setting becomes almost a character itself – that slightly unsettling carnival atmosphere where anything can happen behind the bright lights.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a psychological thriller that respects both its characters and readers, "Her Final Secret" delivers. Sometimes the best finds really are hiding in your digital backlist, waiting for the right midnight scroll session.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FOEeNy