“One street, ten doors, how many killers? The street that contains No.4 is a dark place, secrets linger and whispers of a murder haunt it. The residents have learnt to live with its sinister past, but when one of their own returns to hunt for the truth, their welcome is far from warm… Fifteen years ago, 35-year-old Henry Carr vanished from the yard outside his parents’ house, on a run-down street outside Manchester. Today, a cold-case podcast has brought the disappearance to international attention. A young journalist, Ruth, knows that she might be able to get the locals to open up. After all, she used to be one of them. But returning won’t be easy. There are many reasons why Ruth fled, six years earlier. There’s no evidence, no lead, no body. Yet Henry’s elderly and dementia suffering mother, Marianne, whispers that he was killed and buried on the street they call home. With anniversary of Henry’s disappearance fast approaching, Ruth has just days to uncover the truth of what happened to the man she once knew. And as the more Ruth learns, the more she comes to understand: you can leave the street, but it’ll never leave you…”
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Publication Date: July 6th 2023
The Secret at No. 4 takes place 15 years after the disappearance of local 35-year-old Henry Carr after his missing person case gets brought back to light after his wallet is discovered not far from his childhood home after all those years.
Ruth is a journalist living in Newcastle but is sent back home to Manchester to cover the story of what could possibly uncover what happened to her neighbour 15 years ago. Nobody on the street is really willing to talk to her about the events surrounding the days leading up to Henry’s disappearance, but she is determined to be the one to break any updated news.
I thought that the story dragged on a little in places, but it did have a promising beginning a complete shock of an ending that I never suspected until it was too late. It was a decent ending nonetheless, and S.L. McManus has done a great job with their debut novel.
Thank you to HarperNorth for the ARC!
All the love,
Jade x
Tea Stains and Book Spines 