the dead secret is a great introductory classic if you want to get into them as it is easy to read & follow especially in the gothic mystery genre. it has an interesting premise with enjoyable characters & themes but there are things that i’d have changed if it were up to me. i like how the main secret of the book isn’t revealed until the end however there’s another reveal that happens near the middle of the book which i thought would’ve better if it was revealed at the time of the secret, but i understand for character purposes why it was told to the reader beforehand. as for the mystery, it takes a step back for the majority of the book & only picked back up when there wasn’t much else left to discuss. i liked the character of rosamund & her husband & i wish they were much in the forefront of the book for a longer time, especially when they were the ones that wanted to uncover the mystery itself. the secret itself is a good plot twist that i didn’t see coming & a great reveal after the story. i kind of just wished it was more focused on the mystery & clues were presented throughout rather than straight away. i’ve read that this is a precursor to the amazing book ‘the woman in white’ by the same author which i own so looking forward to reading that!