Book Review: The Secret Keeper, by Renita D'Silva

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

1938: Rani, the bright and spirited daughter of an Indian Crown Prince, leads a privileged if lonely life. Longing for freedom and purpose, she escapes the confines of her father’s palace and meets Prasad – a poor young man – with whom she falls deeply in love. But her plan to gain her father’s approval for the match disastrously backfires.

Two seemingly unconnected stories keep you guessing until in a masterstroke of storytelling they connect with a single word. Atmospheric and engaging, this new book from Renita D'Silva takes us from the heat of India to the chilly winter of wartime Bletchley Park, both places of secrets.

I particularly liked the development of the lead character, Rani as revealed in her letters, an independent woman trying to do her best for all around her in a complicated world.

Well researched and authentic, this book races towards the inevitable, chilling conclusion, yet is lifted by unexpected redemption,. Recommended.

Tony Riches

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About the author

Renita D’Silva loves stories both reading and creating them. Her twelfth historical fiction novel, The Secret Keeper, is out on August 12th. Her books have been translated into several languages. Her short stories have been published in The View from Here, Bartleby Snopes, this zine, Platinum Page, Paragraph Planet, Verve among others, have been nominated for the Pushcart prize, the Best of the Net anthology, shortlisted for the LoveReading Very Short Story award and The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize and longlisted for the BBC National Short Story award. Her short story, Eavesdropping Shamelessly, will be published in the Arts Council England funded Bridges Not Borders anthology of prizewinning stories this autumn. Her short story, Vicar, will be published in Death, Volume 12 of Pure Slush publishers’ Lifespan anthology series. Her first psychological thriller, The Neighbour, won the Joffe Books Prize 2023.