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The Dirty Secrets Club (Jo Beckett #1)
by
Meg Gardiner
With this breakout novel, the meg gardiner fan club is growing...
A string of high-profile murder-suicides has San Francisco more rattled than the string of recent earthquakes. Hired by the SFPD to shed light on the victims' lives, forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett makes a shocking discovery: all the suicides belonged to a group of A-listers with lots of money and plenty to ...more
A string of high-profile murder-suicides has San Francisco more rattled than the string of recent earthquakes. Hired by the SFPD to shed light on the victims' lives, forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett makes a shocking discovery: all the suicides belonged to a group of A-listers with lots of money and plenty to ...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
June 2nd 2009
by Signet
(first published 2008)
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Where has Meg Gardiner been hiding? This was fabulous! It’s been a while since I’ve been so taken with a new (or new to me) suspense writer. The action in this book starts almost immediately with a crazy dare and the death of a U.S. Attorney. Jo Beckett is a really interesting character with a profession that I haven’t seen explored before (if it actually even exists!) — forensic psychology. Instead of determining how someone died, it’s Jo’s job to determine the why, not only to help with t...more
San Francisco is experiencing an earthquake when the 49ers star receiver, Scott Southern, is sneaking into his attorney's evacuated officer tower with an assistant district attorney, Kallie Harding. He's there to complete a dare and she's there to witness it and provide the proof. It's all part of "The Dirty Secrets Club." But when Kallie drives off a bridge, Scott jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge, and other high-power members of the club also end up dead, Jo Beckett, a forensic psychi...more
Tinav
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all mystery, suspense, action readers
Recommended to Tinav by:
Stephen King
Wow! Just read the ARC of this one from bookstore. US release is next month, June. Jo Beckett is a forensic psychologist who helps police with the "why" in cases of uncertain death. I gather that Gardiner is long since published in UK but we've only just got her in the US, and I don't know what the holdup was!
The book's a tight, well-written roller coaster ride from the opening page to the finish. Fantastic! This woman is one of the most talented I've ever read at edge-of-...more
The book's a tight, well-written roller coaster ride from the opening page to the finish. Fantastic! This woman is one of the most talented I've ever read at edge-of-...more
3.0 out of 5 stars Don't join this club..., June 16, 2009
This review is from: The Dirty Secrets Club (Jo Beckett) (Hardcover)
First in a new series, this book starts out interesting and then sort of devolves into pedestrian suspense thriller fare. Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist called in to examine a spate of high profile deaths that involve the rich and famous and that appear to be spectacular murder/suicides. Jo is paired with SFPD detective Amy Tang as they start in...more
This review is from: The Dirty Secrets Club (Jo Beckett) (Hardcover)
First in a new series, this book starts out interesting and then sort of devolves into pedestrian suspense thriller fare. Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist called in to examine a spate of high profile deaths that involve the rich and famous and that appear to be spectacular murder/suicides. Jo is paired with SFPD detective Amy Tang as they start in...more
This book starts out fast and furious-- and manages to keep the pace pretty well throughout. From starting by playing on the ledge of a skyscraper that's about to be closed down for a gas leak, to a high speed chase through the streets of San Fran that ends in a deadly crash, Meg Gardiner keeps the suspense building.
As the main character of the story, Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist is brought in after the crash. Police want her to figure out the victim's state of mind before (an...more
As the main character of the story, Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist is brought in after the crash. Police want her to figure out the victim's state of mind before (an...more
if ever there was a book designed specifically to hit my personal reading kinks, this is it. (if it had been in new york and gotten everything as right as she did about the bay area, we might have hit the trifecta.)
jo beckett is a forensic psychiatrist. as in, she "shrinks the dead". jo is called in to determine whether a suicide is a suicide, or if there is foul play.
the concept of "suicide autopsies" has long been something that interests me, ever s...more
jo beckett is a forensic psychiatrist. as in, she "shrinks the dead". jo is called in to determine whether a suicide is a suicide, or if there is foul play.
the concept of "suicide autopsies" has long been something that interests me, ever s...more
First in a new series about Jo Beckett, forensic psychiatrist. This provides an interesting platform for the writer in what is essentially a police procedural: you don't necessarily have to follow the physical clues. Just how well this works will depend on how much latitude Gardiner takes. Located in San Francisco, the book begins with an earthquake, two people doing something bizarre, and continues with a premise that sort of waffles but for me it was Jo's characterization that kept me going.
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I'm not sure that I can accurately mark this as "read" since I didn't finish it, but I read most of it. I had a good feeling about it because on the back cover Stephen King said it compared to Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, and that it was "the best new new suspense author" or something or the sort. I was very disappointed that it didn't meet my expectations. I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like about it. The writing wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing. The char...more
The DSC members claim that everyone has a deep, dark secret. That means that either the members of the DSC have a very skewed view of reality or I am one very uninteresting person. Either way does not matter since the DSC is fictional. Or is it? Dun dun DUN! Meg Gardiner writes a world of secrets that's completely compelling and believable. It does wonders for those already on the verge of no-reason-paranoia.
A suspensful detective-like mystery, The Dirty Secrets Club follows Dr. Jo B...more
A suspensful detective-like mystery, The Dirty Secrets Club follows Dr. Jo B...more
When Callie Harding, a U. S. attorney, drives her BMW off a highway pass, killing herself as well as her passenger, Lieutenant Amy Tang calls in Dr. Jo Beckett to assist her with the investigation. Dr. Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist and her job is to study the victim’s life and try to figure out what events led up to the death.
The death of Callie Harding is just one of a string of deaths classed as murder/suicides. Callie’s autopsy reveals a message that Callie evidently wrote ...more
The death of Callie Harding is just one of a string of deaths classed as murder/suicides. Callie’s autopsy reveals a message that Callie evidently wrote ...more
I will acknowledge that the story was compulsively readable, and the look into a post-disaster San Francisco was something that I haven't seen a lot of before. That said, I found some of the descriptions hokey, stiff, or downright incongruous. Moreover, I was disappointed and underwhelmed by how the personal crisis in Jo Bennett's past played out in the present. The apparently sudden change in her outlook, the 180 she took on explaining and understanding her role in this crisis struck me as fals...more
Awesome read! I enjoyed the audio version of this book and had a hard time pulling the plug. I found myself listening to this book at any and all moments of the day because I couldn't put it down! This was my first Meg Gardiner and I know that I'll be checking out other books by her in the near future.
I never knew about that there was such a position as a forensic psychiatrist, so Jo's job in this book was eye-opening. It was interesting and she was such a great character. While there were...more
I never knew about that there was such a position as a forensic psychiatrist, so Jo's job in this book was eye-opening. It was interesting and she was such a great character. While there were...more
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Goodreads Description- An ongoing string of high-profile and very public murder-suicides has San Francisco even more rattled than a string of recent earthquakes: A flamboyant fashion designer burns to death, clutching the body of his murdered lover. A superstar 49er jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge. And most shocking of all, a U.S. attorney launches her BMW off a highway overpass, killing herself and three others. Enter forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, hired by the SFPD to cut open not the vic...more
This was an interesting concepts. Aa club of people who have secrets and doing dares etc for the thrill
**********SPOILER ALERT*******************************
You have to ask by the da's office setting up a sting some of the events they were causing to happen and may not have occured if they hadn't set it up. Entrapment
Also how did they think they were going to control it and how did they not realise how big it got?
I suppose that it helpe...more
**********SPOILER ALERT*******************************
You have to ask by the da's office setting up a sting some of the events they were causing to happen and may not have occured if they hadn't set it up. Entrapment
Also how did they think they were going to control it and how did they not realise how big it got?
I suppose that it helpe...more
As soon as I started reading this book I felt like I was reading a J.D. Robb In Death book. In fact the beginning of it really made me think of the short book, Midnight In Death. There is a very similar theme going on. As I kept reading I kept feeling like I was reading what law enforcement was like just before the time period in the In Death books. However, so you don't think it's a rip off, the missing persons in this book follow a completely different theme from Midnight. There is good smush ...more
"The Dirty Secrets Club" is the first book in a new series by superstar-in-the-making thriller writer Meg Gardiner. The main character is San Francisco forensic psychologist Jo Beckett, who works for the SFPD to determine if questionable deaths are accidents, suicides or murder. In "The Dirty Secrets Club", Beckett investigates a series of suicides that turn out to be linked to the eponymous club, unknowingly putting herself into the crosshairs of a killer. Good use of San...more
This is my first Meg Gardiner book, and as a result, I have purchased several more… Yes, it was that good!
I thoroughly enjoyed the masterful way that Gardiner constructed both the story and characters. They have history and life beyond the pages; their wounds are deep, real, and color every action and thought, just as they do with each of us.
Equally masterful was the detail and descriptive passages that brought the San Francisco setting to life. This is the sort of thing ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed the masterful way that Gardiner constructed both the story and characters. They have history and life beyond the pages; their wounds are deep, real, and color every action and thought, just as they do with each of us.
Equally masterful was the detail and descriptive passages that brought the San Francisco setting to life. This is the sort of thing ...more
The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner
Book #1 in the Jo Beckett series
4 Stars
Synopsis:
As a forensic psychiatrist or "dead-shrinker", Dr. Jo Beckett works with the police on cases in which the manner of death (accident, homicide, suicide) is unclear. In this debut book, Jo is called in when an up-and-coming DA is killed in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Once Jo begins digging it becomes clear that the young attorney was involved in a sinister organiza...more
Book #1 in the Jo Beckett series
4 Stars
Synopsis:
As a forensic psychiatrist or "dead-shrinker", Dr. Jo Beckett works with the police on cases in which the manner of death (accident, homicide, suicide) is unclear. In this debut book, Jo is called in when an up-and-coming DA is killed in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Once Jo begins digging it becomes clear that the young attorney was involved in a sinister organiza...more
Interesting enough story but I've a few doubts about the execution as I simply lost track on a couple of occasions why the main character, Jo Beckett (forensic psychiatrist) would end up in the situations she finds herself in - why does she become the focus of the bad guy's ire rather than the lead police detective? Didn't make sense to me. That said there was enough twists and turns to keep you guessing but the ultimate ending I could have done without as it seemed like it had been contrived to...more
I listened to this on tape and really enjoyed it! It was full of action with well developed characters and a plot with many twists and turns. Jo Beckett is a forensic psychologist brought in by the police to determine if the recent death of a U.S. Attorney was suicide. Along the way she discovers the Dirty Secrets Club - a group of high profile people who like to do outrageous things. I liked the cast of quirky characters that include the prickly lady detective with the spiky hair that Jo is wo...more
This is Stephen King's favorite darling these days. I thought her writing was very good, although there were a few far out premises that were hard to swallow. All in all I really enjoyed the book as a whole. The main character is well fleshed out, as are the other characters in the novel. The pace is fast, but not so fast you don't know what's going on. The author slips in nice little side extras throughout the story. I like that. Especially the story of how her husband isn't around anymore. She...more
Book 1 in the Jo Beckett series
This suspense-murder-detective story focuses on Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist who profiles the dead to determine the events and cause of their demise. Lt Amy Tang completes the team, a feisty and hard nosed but likable Asian cop.
The story starts off slow but soon you will find yourself plunged into the mystery when Callie Harding, a bigwig prosecutor smashes her car into a bridge. The mystery deepens when messages are discovered scrawl...more
This suspense-murder-detective story focuses on Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist who profiles the dead to determine the events and cause of their demise. Lt Amy Tang completes the team, a feisty and hard nosed but likable Asian cop.
The story starts off slow but soon you will find yourself plunged into the mystery when Callie Harding, a bigwig prosecutor smashes her car into a bridge. The mystery deepens when messages are discovered scrawl...more
The Dirty Secrets Club is a fantastic story of power and deception. Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist, is called in to investigate a series of high profile deaths. The cases present as possible murder-suicides however there are deeper questions that need to be answered. By performing a psychological autopsy, Jo begins to discover the secrets in each of the victims lives and slowly uncover the links between them. Each of these individuals belonged to a group named the Dirty Secrets Club and...more
Dr. Jo Beckett, a forensic psychiatrist, has been recruited to perform a psychological autopsy on the suspected suicide of city prosecutor Callie Harding. Jo learns that Harding, who drove her BMW off a San Francisco bridge and struck an airport minivan on the road below, was a member of a shadowy group called The Dirty Secrets Club, and that her accident was the latest in a string of high profile murder-suicides. As Jo and the police uncover club information from Callie's iPod, they are led on ...more
Everyone has secrets. Who has secrets so big and so shameful, even criminal, that they would prefer death over exposure? That's the question forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett must find an answer to before others die. Jo is called to a crime scene that looks as if someone intentionally drove off a bridge hitting a vehicle below. On the driver, Callie's, leg, in lipstick, is the word "Dirty." On her arm is the word, "Pray." The passenger is barely alive and whispers to Jo, "...more
Jo Beckett is called in to do a psychological autopsy on a series of high profile deaths. This means that she investigates to decide whether an unclear death is natural, murder, or suicide.
She discovers that they are suicides, but all of them were prompted by someone, and all of them related to something called The Dirty Secrets Club.
Jo won't be able to find out who is responsible for the deaths without risking her own life, and without airing one of her own secrets.
An ...more
She discovers that they are suicides, but all of them were prompted by someone, and all of them related to something called The Dirty Secrets Club.
Jo won't be able to find out who is responsible for the deaths without risking her own life, and without airing one of her own secrets.
An ...more
‘Each flash of the camera was a silent shriek’
This novel kept me turning the pages so rapidly that I didn’t actually stop to analyse the story. Which is probably a good thing: I’m not convinced that the various elements hang together well enough to provide a totally satisfying whole. Does it matter? Well, not to me. I was looking for an escapist novel and this book delivered.
There is a lot of action in this novel: not always coherent and not always believable. That w...more
This novel kept me turning the pages so rapidly that I didn’t actually stop to analyse the story. Which is probably a good thing: I’m not convinced that the various elements hang together well enough to provide a totally satisfying whole. Does it matter? Well, not to me. I was looking for an escapist novel and this book delivered.
There is a lot of action in this novel: not always coherent and not always believable. That w...more
With an endorsement by best-selling author Stephen King and a vast majority of those writing suspense fiction today, you have to wonder why Meg Gardiner hasn't broken through in a big way here in the United States. From what I understand, she's published several successful novels in the UK, all of which are being published here over the next several months.
After reading "Dirty Secrets Club," I can see why she has the ringing endorsement of Mr. King and others. And I can d...more
After reading "Dirty Secrets Club," I can see why she has the ringing endorsement of Mr. King and others. And I can d...more
Let me start by saying that Meg Gardiner is a great up and coming author. I have read all of her Evan Delaney mysteries and would encourage anyone to seek them out. They are not available in the U.S. at bookstores, but you can order them from amazon or other sources. I suspect they will be published in the U.S. if DSC is a success.
The Dirty Secrets Club introduces us to a new Gardiner character, a forensic psychologist. The book has a brilliant premise and was headed for classic terrio...more
The Dirty Secrets Club introduces us to a new Gardiner character, a forensic psychologist. The book has a brilliant premise and was headed for classic terrio...more
A string of high -profile and very public murder suicides has San Francisco rattled even more than a string of recent earthquakes. A fashion designer burns to death , with the body of his murdered lover. A superstar 49er jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge. Than the death of a U.S Attorney by launching her BMW off a high way overpass. Jo Beckett is a Forensic Psychiatrist. Her job is to complete the Psychological autopsy , shedding light on the circumstances of any equivocal death. She soon makes ...more
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Meg Gardiner was born in Oklahoma and raised in Santa Barbara, California. She graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School.
She practiced law in Los Angeles and taught writing at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She lives with her husband, Paul Shreve, and their three children near London.
Series:
* Evan Delaney
* Jo Beckett
More about Meg Gardiner...
She practiced law in Los Angeles and taught writing at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She lives with her husband, Paul Shreve, and their three children near London.
Series:
* Evan Delaney
* Jo Beckett
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