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Darby McCormick #2
The Secret Friend
Two dead girls in the river
Two tiny statues of the Virgin Mary concealed in their clothing
One CSI on the hunt for their killer
When Judith Chen is found floating in Boston's Harbour, links are made with the murder of Emma Hale, a student who vanished without trace, only for her body to wash up months later.
CSI Darby McCormick is assigned to the case and uncovers a piece of overlooked evidence from the Hale investigation which brings her into contact with Malcolm Fletcher, a former FBI agent now on the Most Wanted list after a string of bloody murders. And when a third student goes missing, Darby is led into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with deadly links to the past and a man who speaks to the Blessed Virgin. A man who wants to be a secret friend to the girls he abducts
Two tiny statues of the Virgin Mary concealed in their clothing
One CSI on the hunt for their killer
When Judith Chen is found floating in Boston's Harbour, links are made with the murder of Emma Hale, a student who vanished without trace, only for her body to wash up months later.
CSI Darby McCormick is assigned to the case and uncovers a piece of overlooked evidence from the Hale investigation which brings her into contact with Malcolm Fletcher, a former FBI agent now on the Most Wanted list after a string of bloody murders. And when a third student goes missing, Darby is led into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with deadly links to the past and a man who speaks to the Blessed Virgin. A man who wants to be a secret friend to the girls he abducts
438 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
69 people are currently reading
1015 people want to read
About the author
Chris Mooney
48 books524 followersHailed as “one of the best thriller writers working today” by Lee Child and “a wonderful writer” by Michael Connelly, Chris Mooney is the international bestselling author of twelve novels, most recently, The Snow Girls. His fourth book, The Missing, the first in the Darby McCormick series, was a main selection of the International Book of the Month Club and an instant bestseller in over thirteen countries. The Mystery Writer’s Association nominated Chris’s third book, Remembering Sarah, for an Edgar Award for Best Novel. Foreign rights to his novels have been sold to twenty-eight territories. He has sold nearly two million copies of his books.
Chris teaches writing courses at Harvard and the Harvard Extension School, and lives in the Boston area with his wife and son. His new novel, Blood World, will be released in August of 2020.
International Praise for Chris Mooney:
“Scary voice, scary talent. Mooney is one of the best thriller writers working today.”
– Lee Child
“A wonderful writer . . . Compelling, thrilling and touching.”
– Michael Connelly
“Harrowing, gripping, haunting, gut-wrenching and beautifully written.”
– Harlan Coben
“Chris Mooney has written his finest novel, and that’s saying something indeed.”
– Dennis Lehane
“It will keep you up past your bedtime.”
– Karin Slaughter
“A thriller that will chill your blood, break your heart and make your pulse race.”
– Mark Billingham
"Chris Mooney is an exceptional thriller writer, with the rare gift of being able to of balance action with compassion, and grit with humanity. I envy those who have yet to read him."
– John Connolly
“The Missing is the season’s most unrelenting thriller. It will keep readers enthralled from its gripping opening chapters to its shocking last page.”
– George Pelecanos
“Mooney writes like a man on fire.”
– Linda Fairstein
“The smart money has long been on Chris Mooney, one of crime fiction’s rising stars.”
– Laura Lippman
Chris teaches writing courses at Harvard and the Harvard Extension School, and lives in the Boston area with his wife and son. His new novel, Blood World, will be released in August of 2020.
International Praise for Chris Mooney:
“Scary voice, scary talent. Mooney is one of the best thriller writers working today.”
– Lee Child
“A wonderful writer . . . Compelling, thrilling and touching.”
– Michael Connelly
“Harrowing, gripping, haunting, gut-wrenching and beautifully written.”
– Harlan Coben
“Chris Mooney has written his finest novel, and that’s saying something indeed.”
– Dennis Lehane
“It will keep you up past your bedtime.”
– Karin Slaughter
“A thriller that will chill your blood, break your heart and make your pulse race.”
– Mark Billingham
"Chris Mooney is an exceptional thriller writer, with the rare gift of being able to of balance action with compassion, and grit with humanity. I envy those who have yet to read him."
– John Connolly
“The Missing is the season’s most unrelenting thriller. It will keep readers enthralled from its gripping opening chapters to its shocking last page.”
– George Pelecanos
“Mooney writes like a man on fire.”
– Linda Fairstein
“The smart money has long been on Chris Mooney, one of crime fiction’s rising stars.”
– Laura Lippman
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
July 25, 2022
Muy buena novela de intriga. Totalmente recomendable. Es el primero que leo de este autor pero no será el último. Tiene un gran ritmo y mucha intriga , suspense de calidad. 10/10
August 20, 2008
THE SECRET FRIEND is a contemporary American crime fiction thriller. A serial killer with their own desperate and cruel background. A religious element. A corrupt ex-FBI agent. A bad cop. And a CSI - Darby McCormick - as the central protagonist. Darby is pulled into the case of Emma Hale and finds herself up against a lot of things. There's the lack of evidence or an explanation for why somebody would have snatched Emma, kept her alive for months, and then killed her. There's Emma's powerful and wealthy father who wants answers enough to run his own investigation. There's the second student dead in similar circumstances and it's obvious that this killer is not going to stop unless he's caught. There's the either incompetent or corrupt police force that haven't been able to solve the case. There's a pushy and politically motivated senior officer. And finally, there's the lurking presence of the FBI agent gone bad - the vigilante fugitive from law, taking the law into his own hands.
THE SECRET FRIEND may appeal to a particular type of reader. Fans or believers in CSI's actively investigating cases and those interested in the "technical wizardry" that goes along with crime scene analysis. There are certainly snippets of technical information sprinkled through the book which show the depth of the research or knowledge that went into the writing. To help widen the possible appeal, you've got all these other elements built in - the rogue FBI guy with the astounding connections - inexplicably one step ahead of the cops and Darby all the way; the corrupt cop; the serial killer who may just engender sympathy in some readers; the lurking presence of the closed down institution - where all too many horrible events could have occurred.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if this book doesn't appeal to many readers, but for me it was too much. Whilst it was competently written, the main sub-plot, the rogue ex-FBI agent, just didn't work for me and as he got more and more focus, I got less and less interested. The serial killer's motivations and behaviour seemed to have some potential, but they don't remain the main focus of the book and kept getting lost in the other sub-plots and the snippets of forensic information that were packed in.
October 7, 2019
"Two dead girls in the river,
Two tiny statues of the Virgin Mary concealed in their clothing,
One CSI on the hunt for their killer.
When Judith Chen is found floating in Boston s Harbour, links are made with the murder of Emma Hale, a student who vanished without trace, only for her body to wash up months later.
CSI Darby McCormick is assigned to the case and uncovers a piece of overlooked evidence from the Hale investigation which brings her into contact with Malcolm Fletcher, a former FBI agent now on the Most Wanted list after a string of bloody murders. And when a third student goes missing, Darby is led into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with deadly links to the past and a man who speaks to the Blessed Virgin. A man who wants to be a secret friend to the girls he abducts."
Two tiny statues of the Virgin Mary concealed in their clothing,
One CSI on the hunt for their killer.
When Judith Chen is found floating in Boston s Harbour, links are made with the murder of Emma Hale, a student who vanished without trace, only for her body to wash up months later.
CSI Darby McCormick is assigned to the case and uncovers a piece of overlooked evidence from the Hale investigation which brings her into contact with Malcolm Fletcher, a former FBI agent now on the Most Wanted list after a string of bloody murders. And when a third student goes missing, Darby is led into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with deadly links to the past and a man who speaks to the Blessed Virgin. A man who wants to be a secret friend to the girls he abducts."
September 13, 2013
"O Amigo Secreto" foi mais um livro, que enquanto não acabei, não houve descanso!!! Dei muitas vezes comigo ansiosamente a contar os minutos que faltavam para poder novamente prosseguir a sua leitura. Simplesmente fantástico, adorei e recomendo aos fãs do policial/thriller.
April 16, 2024
not as good as part 1 but I still liked it a lot 🤗 I’m ready for part 3 ✨
October 7, 2018
Malcolm Fletcher makes an appearance in this book and leads Darby and her team on a merry chase. Or does he? In his character and the way he leads them, I see glimpses of Hannibal playing psychological games with Clarice.
I don't have to tell you to expect the unexpected. this seems to be a given with Chris Mooney. I have to say it has been a while since I enjoyed the games an author plays with his readers as much as this.
Gripping read, that will not give you room to breathe.
I don't have to tell you to expect the unexpected. this seems to be a given with Chris Mooney. I have to say it has been a while since I enjoyed the games an author plays with his readers as much as this.
Gripping read, that will not give you room to breathe.
April 1, 2021
I didn't think this book was as good as the first in this series but I read it so long ago I don't really remember what it was about. I like the character of Darby but to be honest everyone else is a bit one dimensional; either a side character or a cartoon villain. I have bought the next in the series because once I have started a series I usually see it through to the end unless it's appalling. So we'll see where this takes us.
June 25, 2019
McCormick kicks butt in this book and while some of it might be a bit far fetched, she's a very likable detective; after the truth, doesn't play politics, and can shoot a gun and take care of herself! Enjoyed this book so much I went on to read the next in the series.
May 3, 2014
Christopher Cole "Chris" Mooney is an American journalist, author and academic who focuses on science in politics. He was born on September 20, 1977 in Mesa, Arizona, USA. He graduated in English from Yale in 1999 and since 2010 has been a member of the board of the American Geophysical Union.
I cannot remember how I came across this book, but I am glad I did. It is a different kind of crime fiction to that which I normally read. The Secret Friend is a contemporary American crime fiction thriller. It contains a bit of everything: a serial killer, a corrupt ex-FBI agent, a bad cop and a CSI. The CSI is Darby McCormick she is the central protagonist. She is pulled into the case of Emma Hale and finds there is a lack of evidence or explanation for why somebody would have snatched Emma, kept her alive for months, and then finally killed her.
Emma's father is powerful and wealthy and wants answers. So much so that he starts his own investigation. Then a second student is found dead in similar circumstances. It is clear that the killer is not going to stop unless he is caught. The police force that have been unable to solve the case despite their pushy senior officer. There are furhter complications due to an FBI agent gone bad who takes the law into his own hands.
The Secret Friend will appeal to readers who believe in CSI's active investigation of cases and also those interested in the "technical wizardry" that goes along with crime scene analysis. There are snippets of technical information sprinkled through the book which show the depth of the author's research and knowledge that went into the writing of this book.
The book was competently written. I enjoyed it and I had not read a similar story before. If you are interested in the input of the CSI to criminal cases, I highly recommend this book.
I cannot remember how I came across this book, but I am glad I did. It is a different kind of crime fiction to that which I normally read. The Secret Friend is a contemporary American crime fiction thriller. It contains a bit of everything: a serial killer, a corrupt ex-FBI agent, a bad cop and a CSI. The CSI is Darby McCormick she is the central protagonist. She is pulled into the case of Emma Hale and finds there is a lack of evidence or explanation for why somebody would have snatched Emma, kept her alive for months, and then finally killed her.
Emma's father is powerful and wealthy and wants answers. So much so that he starts his own investigation. Then a second student is found dead in similar circumstances. It is clear that the killer is not going to stop unless he is caught. The police force that have been unable to solve the case despite their pushy senior officer. There are furhter complications due to an FBI agent gone bad who takes the law into his own hands.
The Secret Friend will appeal to readers who believe in CSI's active investigation of cases and also those interested in the "technical wizardry" that goes along with crime scene analysis. There are snippets of technical information sprinkled through the book which show the depth of the author's research and knowledge that went into the writing of this book.
The book was competently written. I enjoyed it and I had not read a similar story before. If you are interested in the input of the CSI to criminal cases, I highly recommend this book.
April 24, 2012
Kisah Darby McCormick berlanjut, setelah kasus the treveler (Buku Pertama: The Missing, Darby McCormick #1), kini Darby dihadapkan dalam kasus baru, setelah menghilang kurang lebih 8 bulan Emma Hale yang merupakan anak dari konglomerat Boston, Jonathan Hale, ditemukan telah menjadi mayat, jasadnya mengambang terbungkus plastik dengan luka tembakan dibelakang kepalanya.
Tetapi Emma bukanlah korban satu-satunya, Judith Chen ditemukan juga dalam kondisi yang sama persis dengan Emma dan masing-masing keduanya (Emma dan Judith) membawa patung Perawan Suci Maria disaku celana mereka. Darby kini mendapatkan posisi baru, bukan hanya bekerja dalam Lab. CSI, ia kini menjadi seorang Profiler bersama rekan baru Tim Byston.
Ditengah pemecahan kasus Emma dan Judith, Darby dikejutlah oleh hadirnya Malcolm Fletcher seorang mantan Profiler FBI, yang menjadi buronan akibat kasus pembunuhan rekannya sendiri pada tahun 1984. Fletcher selalu membayang-bayangi langkah Darby dalam kasus pembunuhan ini, termasuk menggiring Darby dalam kasus pembunuhan lain (Jennifer Tores, tahun 1982) yang melibatkan rekannya sendiri Byston.
Berhasilkah usaha yang dilakukan Darby menemukan siapa pembunuh Emma dan Judith? Sementara telah ditemukan korban ke-3 ketika Hannah Lee Givens, yang dicurigai menghilang, akankah Hannah dapat diselamatkan hidup-hidup?
Novel yang sangat menarik, mengungkap banyak istilah dalam CSI (Crime Scientific Investigation/tim Forensik), petualang seru dan alur cerita yang tak lepas dari ketegangan.
Tetapi Emma bukanlah korban satu-satunya, Judith Chen ditemukan juga dalam kondisi yang sama persis dengan Emma dan masing-masing keduanya (Emma dan Judith) membawa patung Perawan Suci Maria disaku celana mereka. Darby kini mendapatkan posisi baru, bukan hanya bekerja dalam Lab. CSI, ia kini menjadi seorang Profiler bersama rekan baru Tim Byston.
Ditengah pemecahan kasus Emma dan Judith, Darby dikejutlah oleh hadirnya Malcolm Fletcher seorang mantan Profiler FBI, yang menjadi buronan akibat kasus pembunuhan rekannya sendiri pada tahun 1984. Fletcher selalu membayang-bayangi langkah Darby dalam kasus pembunuhan ini, termasuk menggiring Darby dalam kasus pembunuhan lain (Jennifer Tores, tahun 1982) yang melibatkan rekannya sendiri Byston.
Berhasilkah usaha yang dilakukan Darby menemukan siapa pembunuh Emma dan Judith? Sementara telah ditemukan korban ke-3 ketika Hannah Lee Givens, yang dicurigai menghilang, akankah Hannah dapat diselamatkan hidup-hidup?
Novel yang sangat menarik, mengungkap banyak istilah dalam CSI (Crime Scientific Investigation/tim Forensik), petualang seru dan alur cerita yang tak lepas dari ketegangan.
July 19, 2011
Back to reading Chris Mooney, the second of his series, the first one "The Missing" was very enjoyable, so now I have a new series, C.S.I. (C.S.U.) Darby McCormick. Two students (female) have been abducted, one kept for 6 months, then shot and dumped in the river and Darby is called in to a new specialised unit C.S.U. and asked to lead the investigation by the under-pressure Commissioner. Another student is soon abducted and the race is on to find her before the killer strikes again. There's a religious nut, a very creepy ex-F.B.I. profiler and a former sprawling ruin of an Asylum thrown in for good measure. I liked it, and it's got a few books in the series, which is always good. Just started the next one, so I'm all set for tonight.
April 7, 2016
The secret friend no será el libro de tu vida, ni el libro que te cambie por completo, pero si te mantendrá entretenida por un par de horas. Me gusta como Chris Mooney maneja los alternativos puntos de vista y a pesar de que conoces la mente del asesino desde el comienzo, esto no lo hace ni aburrido o monótono. Pero se que es solo por la escritura de este hombre.
Darby McCormick es la clase de protagonista que me encanta leer, y si puedo devorarme toda esta saga, estaré encantada con ello.
Darby McCormick es la clase de protagonista que me encanta leer, y si puedo devorarme toda esta saga, estaré encantada con ello.
November 10, 2008
Good on technical stuff, but thin on plot.
The characters aren't particularly strong or believable. But if you suspend your disbelief the book rockets along at a good pace. Fairly gory, and it felt overdone in places.
I can't say I'd be rushing to pick up another novel by this author, but as it was given to me by a friend, I don't want to be too critical either.
The characters aren't particularly strong or believable. But if you suspend your disbelief the book rockets along at a good pace. Fairly gory, and it felt overdone in places.
I can't say I'd be rushing to pick up another novel by this author, but as it was given to me by a friend, I don't want to be too critical either.
March 28, 2009
I don't give out the 5 stars lightly. I loved this book. I read it in 2 days and could have read it straight through if had been allowed!
I enjoyed the plot, technical aspects and the characters as well! I will be looking for more of Chris Mooney's books for sure!
I enjoyed the plot, technical aspects and the characters as well! I will be looking for more of Chris Mooney's books for sure!
May 22, 2012
reviewnya ngikut di sini aja ya michiyo fujiwara
March 26, 2015
There is a serial kidnapper/killer on the loose in Boston and Darby is on the case. Lots of characters in this one including a rogue cop and a former FBI profiler.
July 1, 2015
Just love this author, another great book that totally kept me engrossed the whole way through. Will definitely be reading his remaining books.
October 18, 2015
wow, another amazing book from Chris Mooney, he has a fantastic way of grabbing your attention from the first page, I can't wait to read more of his books :)
September 19, 2016
Steta sto je u Hr.preveden samo jedan nastavak i to 2.po redu iz serijala o Darby McCormic.
February 7, 2017
Another great book from Chris Mooney. Had me hooked from start to finish
April 24, 2019
I have mixed feelings regarding this novel, while I liked it I felt that the plot was all over the place. It was almost as if it was trying to set the stage for the next book in the series before the second one really got started. I found myself empathizing with unlikely characters in this and questioning my initial thoughts of Darby. At one point, she comes off as extremely judgmental with a high and mighty attitude which confused me. I’m also finding an emerging pattern of men being deceitful and terrible people, also interesting. Overall, worth the read if you liked the first one. I agree with the majority, the end was super anticlimatic and many loose ends were not woven together to fit the plot.
September 3, 2018
Chris Mooney appears to have an exceptional thriller series going with the Darby MCormick. I read, "The Missing" and was close to giving it 5 stars, however "The Secret Friend" definitely rates all the twinkles. Is it a literary masterpiece? Nope. However, it's an excellent forensic thriller with lots of suspense and action, thus the five stars. It's terrific escapist literature. I could have done without the social commentary about religion and if a loving God exists, but I guess people with all type of tragedies ask those questions. I'll definitely be reading, "The Dead Room," the next in the series.
December 21, 2020
Me ha gustado la trama de la novela, pero tengo que reconocer que ha habido partes del libro que se me han hecho un poco pesadas y lentas porque el personaje de la doctora estaba muy introspectivo con ella misma y al asesino en serie le pasaba otro tanto, así que entre los dos han logrado ese efecto de que el libro en algunas partes se hiciera lento y pesado. Como ya dije la trama de la novela en general me ha gustado mucho y está bien narrado, las escenas bien hilvanadas unas con otras, por lo que al final he decidido ponerle cuatro estrellas. Lo recomiendo, pero a lectores a los que les guste la novela negra y los procedimientos policiales.
February 26, 2018
“The Secret Friend” refers to the former FBI agent who is supposedly helping the main character, Darby McCormick, find the person who abducted and kept two women for a time before killing them and dumping them in the river with a Virgin Mary figurine sewed into their pockets. The secret friend also refers to the Virgin Mary herself whom the killer imagines is speaking to him. The author weaves together these two strands of the story to make a complex mystery. This book is an improvement on the first novel in this series, so much so that I would recommend reading this one first.
April 4, 2020
I love the Darby McCormick novels but I was left somewhat disappointed with this book.
What started out as a gripping thriller quickly became a slightly disjointed book with un-relatable characters, followed up with an anti climatic ending.
Darby’s love interest Coop is barely on the sidelines in this novel and there’s not enough police procedural for the characters to really blend and play off one another.
There’s a lot of questions I have left unanswered, perhaps his following book was meant to answer them? Either way, this was not my favourite in his series.
What started out as a gripping thriller quickly became a slightly disjointed book with un-relatable characters, followed up with an anti climatic ending.
Darby’s love interest Coop is barely on the sidelines in this novel and there’s not enough police procedural for the characters to really blend and play off one another.
There’s a lot of questions I have left unanswered, perhaps his following book was meant to answer them? Either way, this was not my favourite in his series.
June 18, 2017
Mmmmm, I have mixed feelings regarding this novel. It was a great story and contained some excellent characters, yet I really struggled to get through it. I carried on spurred on by the fact I wanted to know the outcome, but it felt like a bit of a chore. I'm not sure whether perhaps I wasn't in the right mind set to read it as, like I mentioned, the story was good. I'm glad I persevered as I really hate giving up on a book. I think it just wasn't for me right now!
May 22, 2023
Duas universitárias que se encontravam desaparecidas são encontradas num rio mortas com um tiro na nuca e com uma estátua da Virgem Maria cosida nos bolsos.
A agente CSI Darby McCormick fica responsável pela investigação e vai contar com a ajuda de um misterioso Amigo Secreto que se revela afinal ser um antigo agente agora procurado por homicídio.
Gostei deste livro embora tenha gostado mais do primeiro.
A agente CSI Darby McCormick fica responsável pela investigação e vai contar com a ajuda de um misterioso Amigo Secreto que se revela afinal ser um antigo agente agora procurado por homicídio.
Gostei deste livro embora tenha gostado mais do primeiro.
June 6, 2017
Not sure why I end up reading books part way through a series. But it appears I've missed the first Darby McCormick book by Chris Mooney.
But having enjoyed The Secret Friend so much theres no doubt that I'll be reading more Chris Mooney books in the future and will probably read number 1 next!
Gripping from the very beginning with enough twists to keep your attention till the very end.
But having enjoyed The Secret Friend so much theres no doubt that I'll be reading more Chris Mooney books in the future and will probably read number 1 next!
Gripping from the very beginning with enough twists to keep your attention till the very end.
April 27, 2025
I enjoyed this one so much more than the first so I am glad I decided to continue with the series. Darby is back in this fast paced story based around crime scene investigators. It’s gripping and I really enjoyed the bad guy Fletcher- a great character. This kept me thoroughly engrossed and the technical elements were interesting. A solid 4⭐️read
April 27, 2020
This is the third book I have read from this author and I'll be back for more. 3rd in the series was the first one I read, then went back for books 1 and 2. Great stories and LOVE the lead detective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews