Secret Smile (Mass Market Paperback)

by Nicci French (Author)
Key Phrases: secret smile, Nicci French, Rob Pryor, Brendan Block (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Nobody does the dark underside of sex in the city better than the British couple who write as Nicci French, and their latest (after 2003's Land of the Living) is one of their most sustained and believable studies in terror against women. Miranda Cotton has an ideal life in London, doing work she loves (building and contracting; she always seems to have a spot of paint in her hair), with no current love interest but lots of dating opportunities. Then a short, nasty liaison with a man who calls himself Brendan Block rips her comfortable world apart. A charming and dangerous psychopath, Block worms his way into the Cotton family claiming that he dumped Miranda (when in fact it was she who tossed him out when she caught him reading her diaries); he immediately wins the trust of her flustered parents and does serious damage to her older sister, Kerry, and her mentally fragile younger brother, Troy. The trouble is that nobody believes the rather rough-edged Miranda when she tries desperately to stop Block's rampage. Studded with sharp insights into the strange compromises involved in modern relationships, this novel could be the horror version of Bridget Jones's Diary. And the authors are so subtle at bringing Brendan and Miranda to life that readers might even begin to doubt that what she's telling us is the whole truthâ€"until a stunning climax in which all sorts of secrets and lies are revealed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Although French's thrillers are all stand-alones, they all have one element in common: delicious, constantly building suspense. Like Land of the Living [BKL Mr 15 03], this one focuses on a London-dwelling protagonist who must prove a point to disbelieving family, friends, and police. Miranda is dating a charmer named Brendan until she discovers him reading her diary and kicks him out. Dumped by Miranda, Brendan woos and wins her sister, Kerry. Gradually Miranda realizes he's more than just sleazy--he's sick. But her family and friends only see the charming face he shows them and believe that Miranda is the one who was dumped and won't let go. When a member of her family dies, Miranda feels that Brendan must be involved. But can she prove it before he kills her? In typical French fashion, the surprise ending will leave readers shaking their heads and grinning. Another not-to-be-missed adventure from a consistently satisfying author. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446617105
• ISBN-13: 978-0446617109
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #680,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scariest of All Her Books, November 27, 2004

By	Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Secret Smile (Hardcover)

Partly because Miranda, the decorating heroine of SECRET SMILE, is in some ways more vulnerable than this writing couple's previous heroines. She's a little bit rough and tumble and also feels loved less than her other siblings. She's vulnerable when Brendan meets her, and vulnerable when he next takes up with her sister. When Brendan does something terrible to her little brother, Troy, her anguish knows no bounds. You have to love her! Especially when she starts showing some gumption and begins, slowly at first, to fight back against the face of evil. It's always good when they start fighting back, especially when this involves putting one's clever hat on and going back to investigate the secret past of the enemy. In Brendan's case, there is no end to the horror of his being. But by this time Kerry is wise enough to deter the serpent . . .

It's amusing to see some of our Top 100 reviewers accidentally revealing themselves with this book. As anyone who has read the book knows, the name of one of the main characters is misspelled on the book jacket copy. Some of our reviewers, well, it doesn't look like they've read the book at all because guess what? They discuss the part of the plot that was on the book jacket using the wrong spelling of the name! Oh well, what do they say, "marry in haste, repent in leisure."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I have no fingernails left...., June 20, 2005

By	Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Secret Smile (Hardcover)

Miranda's life is turned upside down when she catches Brendan, a guy she dated for a little over week, reading her diary, and dumps him. Two weeks later, she discovers that he is now dating her sister, and soon they are engaged.

Of course, Brendan has told everyone that he dumped her and hoped there were no hard feelings. When the purchase of a new flat falls through, sister Kerry and Brendan show up on her doorstep asking for a place to stay for a week. A week turns into many, and soon, she moves out of her own place because the comments that Brendan makes to her (which cannot be repeated) and his general behavior have her really creeped out, as he has completely invaded her life, destroying friendships and romances in his wake of psychosis.

After the suspicious suicide of her troubled teenage brother and the death of a close friend, Miranda goes over the edge trying to prove that there is something strange about Brendan, only to cast suspicion on herself.

The author manages to make you loathe and feel for Miranda at the same time, especially since everyone is charmed by Brendan and thinks that she is the one with the problem.

This one will keep you on the edge of your seat just wondering when Brendan will be caught. I had such a hard time putting it down because I had to know what happened next.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicci French's best and creepiest thriller to date!, January 12, 2005

By	CoffeeGurl (MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Secret Smile (Hardcover)

I have loved Nicci French's work since Killing Me Softly. I recently found out that Nicci French is in fact a pseudonym used by a British couple. Well, they write awesome novels and I couldn't wait to pick up their latest work. Secret Smile is their best written and creepiest novel since Beneath the Skin. Miranda Cotton couldn't be happier with her life. She is a building contractor in London and her dating life is just as she likes it. But then an ex-boyfriend resurfaces, prepared to ruin her ordered life. He manipulates his way into her family's life to the point that she is not trusted among them anymore. To make matters worse, her friends and family are in danger and no one believes her when she tells them that Brendan Block is a raving psychopath. There are many twists throughout the novel.

I couldn't put this book down. The scenes are so palpable that they gave me goose bumps. The plot is executed in such a clever way. There were times in which I thought that Miranda was indeed delusional and that Brendan was not as bad as she made him out to be. The novel's conclusion is one of the best I have read in a long time. The characterization is excellent. Brendan's behavior is believable in that in real life there are people who play mind games not unlike the ones he played. I hadn't read thrillers in a while because the genre had become stale. Nicci French has satisfied my craving for a dark, intelligent thriller. Secret Smile reads like a twisted chick-lit. It's incredible and I cannot recommend this gem enough.