Uncovering “The Secrets that We Keep:” A Book Review
The Secrets That We Keep is an engaging collection of suspense stories that will beckon readers to keep flipping (or in my case, scrolling down) to the next page.
The Secrets That We Keep is an anthology, with eight carefully-curated crime stories: Web, The Children of Truth, Where is Sandra, Tomorrow We’ll See, Sniper, Snatched, Among Us, Kate’s Retreat, and Missing Bodies. The stories in this book have their own individual twists, enough to keep readers engrossed in their well-written story lines and well-thought out plots.
A look into select stories
Of the eight tales in the book, I was able to read Web, The Children of Truth, Among Us, and Missing Bodies.
“Web,” the first in the anthology, tells the accounts of an expert thief operating on the dark web and who makes a living by turning crime into a form of entertainment for other people who have the taste for such type of pursuit. Throughout the narrative, there came a special request for a unique heist. However, the thief unknowingly made a wrong move that out an end to his career and almost cost him his life.
“The Children of Truth,” meanwhile, is about an undercover agent who was tasked to dig into the secrets of a religious cult. As the days progressed, the agent becomes enthralled with the family, especially with the charismatic leader of the group. Secrets were about to be revealed soon but in a surprising turn of events, the narrative reached a bloody conclusion for the people involved in the investigation.
In “Among Us,” a lady investigator was tasked to get to the bottom of a series of cases that seemed unrelated at first. However, as the events went on, she realized that all clues and evidences all led back to her. She was suddenly haunted by her past which she thought was all behind her. With this realization came the question of her resolving the mystery or being one of the fatalities herself.
Lastly, in “Missing Bodies,” three bodies disappear from a hospital morgue. The circumstances surrounding the missing bodies were seemingly ordinary until the investigators dug deeper and uncovered a case that might be even bigger.
Among these four stories, I consider “Web” and “Among Us” to be my favorites. Their plots were solid and commendable for providing the excitement and edginess that I was looking for in this genre. As I was reading the stories, I found it challenging to foresee what was going to happen next as the scenarios slowly ascended to an exciting climax. Both stories ended impeccably and left me impressed.
“The Children of Truth” to be predictable. While the story evolved flawlessly, I still somehow expected the ending to be as it was.
I have always been a fan of suspense and thriller stories because I find excitement in this genre. Think of crime and conspiracy novels written by Robert Ludlum or stories of the macabre by Stephen King.
On a further note, I am a voracious reader. The act of flipping through the pages of a book transports me to another place, time, and realm. I consider reading is another form of traveling; one that is boundless and limited only by one’s imagination. But despite my love for books, I deeply appreciate a good material. I love stories that are not implausible; I value pieces that play with the mind and draw excitement from a remarkable series of believable plot twists.
About the Book
The Secrets That We Keep is anthology that puts together the works of Filipino writers who were invited to pen about crime in Philippine setting under the banner #HeistClub. The original workshop brought to life sixteen new stories of murder, theft, deceit, militarization, undercover militia, and corruption, released in three bundles by buqo.ph.
The response to the books was exceptional. With the success of the initial run of the book, a call for new #HeistClub authors came about. The Secrets That We Keep was finally born and featured the following stories: Web by Liam Blunt, The Children of Truth by J. Guibone, Where is Sandra? by Amae Dechavez, Tomorrow We’ll See by Mark Manalang, Sniper by I. P. Lanz, Snatched by Irene Recio, Among Us by Buñag Manlapaz, Kate’s Retreat by Yeyet Soriano, and Missing Bodies by Celestine Trinidad.