Every Secret Thing

It was hard to put this book down! Ann Tatlock is a very talented writer. The characters really come alive. I enjoyed the mysterious element in the story. It would make a wonderful movie! One of the best books I've read in a long time.

Reviewed by AJ Cooper for Reader Views (1/08) Beth returns to Delaware to teach at the school she was a former student at. She is apprehensive because of all of the memories this school holds for her, yet she is excited to get started and has all of her lesson plans ready to go. The school provides her with a home, on the school grounds, that is very comfortable and perfect for Beth. Beth reconnects with her best friend from school and they both ponder what the other classmates are doing and about Mr. Dutton, the teacher that died during the middle of their school year that they both had a crush on him. Their friends stated that Mr. Dutton killed himself and at the time the school announced he had a heart attack and would not be returning to school. Now that Beth is back at the school she discovers that a man named Mr. Dutton is at the hospital in bad shape. She believes it could possibly be her old teacher and goes for a visit. To her amazement she determines it is her teacher and she is able to reenter his life and try to determine what really happened so long ago. Beth befriends one of her students, Satchel. She soon discovers that she has been sent to the school as a boarder because her Mom has remarried and Satchel does not seem to get along in the family. Satchel's father passed away when she was younger and she seems troubled but reluctant to talk about his death. Beth allows Satchel to come and spend time at her residence on the school grounds. They talk about the class and how interesting Satchel's papers are for the English class. Their conversations also turn towards Beth and Satchel's personal lives. Beth watches as other students go home during the week and weekends and have been supplied with their own cars and Satchel is left to herself on nights and weekends. "Every Secret Thing" filled me with hope. You get the feeling that good things really can happen to someone that has had a less than perfect life and that friends come to you in the most unexpected places and times. It is enjoyable to have a mystery turn out good for a change. I would recommend this book to my friends and family. It was unfortunate when the book ended I wanted to read more about their lives.

After moving around Elizabeth Gunnar - Beth comes home to teach English at Seaton Preparatory School in Hockessin, Delaware her old school where she graduated in 1977. Her parents have long retired to Asheville, North Carolina but actually Beth feels she's come home. Of course it brings back the old memories of times spent with her group the Barbarians and her favorite teacher, Mr. Dutton who taught English. But it brings up bad memories too such as just why did Mr. Dutton commit suicide in her senior year? She reconnects with her best friend Natalie who she's only stayed in touch with via email all these years. At Homecoming she reconnects with Ken and Ray the other two members of the Barbarians. She begins to date Ray again, her steady boyfriend in high school who is divorced with three kids. She takes one of her students Satchel Queen, a lover of books and loner like herself under her wing and helps her to blossom especially in writing just like Mr. Dutton did with her. Beth has Ray tell her again the story of what he and Ken saw that April 1st night in 1977 when he and Ken found Mr. Dutton in his cabin after cutting his wrist. They knew he was dead but why had the school staged such a cover up as they told the students that Mr. Dutton had a heart attack and was still alive. Natalie accuses Beth of being obsessed and needs to let his death go and forget about it as the other three have done. But Beth can't let it go. In this awesome tale writer Ann Tatlock captures your heart and even your mind from the very first page. An unmistakable page turner you'll wonder why too just why did Mr. Dutton commit suicide and why is Satchel so unhappy? You'll find yourself drawn into and relating to Beth especially if you feel invisible, a loner just as she does. See how God brings closure, happiness, and forgiveness in this timeless mystery suspense love story. Also included are reader discussions questions, which helps make this book perfect for book groups. A perfect read for teens and adults alike. Ann Tatlock is a remarkable writer! Don't just take this reviewer's word on it even "Publisher's Weekly ", named her as "one of Christian fiction's better wordsmiths". So if you want to curl up with a good book I highly recommend "Every Secret Thing".

Every Secret Thing is a novel that lingers in the reader's mind well after setting the book down. Themes of whether or not it is worthwhile to live in spite of pain and finding one's place in the world are skillfully woven throughout the book. The reader stops, and breathes, and appreciates the state of being alive, and being loved. I've read many of Ann Tatlock's books. She's a talented writer who weaves plot, characters, and themes into an intricate tapestry not soon forgotten.

Ann Tatlock has a distinctive almost lyrical style to her writing. Reading her work is like listening to a symphony. As you are introduced to her characters, you catch a nuance of stringed instruments, and as the plot unfolds, you feel an underlying mystery in the base notes, enhanced by the woodwinds of Tatlock's descriptions. In a sonata of past and present, Every Secret Thing will leave its melody in your heart long after you turn the final page. This is the first of Ann Tatlock's books that I've read, but I can assure you it won't be the last. This reviewer gives Every Secret Thing a high recommendation. Reviewed by Ane Mulligan www.anemulligan.com