Secrets She Left Behind - Diane Chamberlain

Nineteen-year-old Maggie Lockwood spent a year in prison for her part in a fire that cost three lives. The scars carried by the surviving victims – inside and out – are still raw and Maggie’s release from jail does nothing to free her from the guilt. Returning home, Maggie hides herself away, too afraid to see Keith, the boy she grew up with, played with as a child – and recently learnt is her half-brother. Keith nearly lost his life in the fire and the emotional and physical wounds he carries have changed him forever. With childhood innocence gone, Maggie and Keith must learn to come to terms with their new lives, but trying to move forward will have deadly consequences…

This is a part follow up, part stand alone book to a previous book Chamberlain has written.  Its a follow up to Before the Storm and focuses on the same family but it written from the perspective of a different character.  It follows Maggie who has been released from Prison and her building her life back together. This is more of a light and easy read, with the story flowing well and you can really get into this novel easily and get lost into it. However i don't think this is one of her better books and others I have read have had a bit more depth and story to them.

The layers to this book are interesting, we hear about how Maggie adjusts and trys to find her feet following life in prision. And returning to a small town this is not easy as a lot of the townsfolk were injured or killed in the fire and they believe its all her fault. What i liked about the development of the plot was it was not an easy ride for Maggie and we did watch her struggle which made it feel a little more realistic. We also find more depth about the family and how dysfunctional and how many secrets and twists in the family their are. again this gave the novel a sense of realism.

I have always loved Diane Chamberlains books and would encourage any one who is interested in Chick lit, who want to loose themselves in a good book to pick any one of hers up. To me this wasn't her best book but it still was good, and i did loose myself in it.