Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

“Some family secrets are worth killing for…”

If you like a crime book with plenty of secrets, then this is one you might want to try – although I didn’t find it to be groundbreaking, Kaleidoscope of Secrets is a decent debut that still managed to surprise me! I’d be curious to see hear what you thought if you’ve read it, so let me know. Very happy to be sharing my review!

About the book

Mia Graham is Chicago’s most sought-after antiques appraiser—known for unearthing the hidden stories behind priceless objects. But nothing prepares her for the shocking secret buried in her own family.

When Mia uncovers what’s really behind her family’s respected business, her world shatters. The polished exterior is nothing more than an elaborate façade—a sophisticated front for a high-stakes international smuggling operation that spans generations. Thrust into a world of deception, and deadly secrets, Mia is forced to confront everything she thought she knew.

Mia is forced to make an impossible decision: expose the criminal empire that raised her—or become complicit in the very darkness she never knew existed. Either way, someone loses everything.

The beginning

Despite a bit of a slow start for this book, what does happen really got me thinking! Shortly after meeting our main character, Mia, an antiques expert with a secret, there’s a near fatal accident; Mia’s grandmother is involved in a hit-and-run. And what’s more is that detectives believe it was a targeted attack. Mia and her grandmother were due to meet, and Mia planned on telling her the secret we all wanted to know. I was intrigued to know more about her past, what had happened that had led to the deaths of two people. But that had to wait now. Mia needed to know who was responsible for her grandmother’s accident, and she was hell-bent on getting answers. We also meet another character, Charlie, a good friend to Mia, someone who’d stay by her side and help her uncover the truth. Even though it was an interesting start, I found the opening chapters to drag a little and I really felt like I wanted more from it. Something to excite me. I hoped it would still come at some point! However, it was a nice, easy to to read opening and I was still interested enough to keep reading.

“For more than a decade she had carried the guilt. Carried the regret. And it had cost her.”

Not only do we hear from Mia’s perspective in this book, but we also hear from Nikki. She seemed to be in charge of a bigger operation, the one who initiated the incident with Mia’s grandmother, even though it didn’t go to plan. If Mia’s grandmother died from her injuries, if she wasn’t contactable, then Mia would have to do. It was clear Mia was in danger, and I had the feeling that I wanted to protect her from whatever was coming her way! I really like how we naturally get to know more about Mia’s family over time, to build up that backstory. Their involvement in black market trades and antiques had potential for a gripping story, so I was really hoping we’d get that. However, at times, I was thrown off by characters mentioning events or things that readers have no clue about. It felt like I was reading the second book in a series at times, like I was expected to have some prior knowledge. It was difficult to keep up with everything that was being referenced but I ploughed on through hoping it would make sense later.

The middle

Mia and Charlie’s relationship development felt really clunky. I didn’t feel like we needed a romantic side story, but I could see this was where things were headed. It did feel a bit forced, something included just to check a box. Even though I liked the idea of Charlie’s character, the book doesn’t really benefit from him at all, at least up to this point. Despite this, there are some parts of the developing plot that I found interesting; Mia’s grandmother wakes up and is able to communicate in some capacity with Mia. She tries to tell her something about her attack, that people will come for her. This really made me curious, and made things feel dangerous, with a newfound sense of excitement I desperately needed from this book. Not only this, but her grandmother’s home is broken into. I began to think more about everything left unsaid between Mia and her grandmother, just how big her secrets are, what she’s really involved in. It’s clear that, whoever they were, they would keep coming until they got exactly what they wanted. Mia needed to be careful.

“Mia felt a darkness looming. It reminded her of the feeling you get on a perfect spring day, but from the smell in the air you’d bet your last dollar that a storm is a approaching.”

As Mia starts playing detective and taking matters into her own hands, we briefly visit the past, experiencing a traumatic time for Mia, answering some of the questions that had built up in my mind along the way. I didn’t see the reveal coming and was genuinely shocked by the sliver of emotion I felt. It really makes us understand why Mia is the way she is. There’s also another crucial piece of information revealed, a part of the book where it becomes clear why she and her grandmother are being targeted. There was something very precious at stake. And it was Mia’s job to protect it. There were the odd chapters that really captured my interest but the majority of it felt a bit samey. Even so, we clearly still have a lot to learn about Mia’s grandmother and her family which kept me hanging on. After taking a disliking to Nikki over the course of the book so far, we learn about her father’s declining health, and I really felt for her. There was certainly a more delicate side to her, a more human one that was really interesting to explore. I was curious to see whether this would change her.

The end

I did like the ending chapters much more than the rest of the book. It felt much more exciting; there’s an urgency for Mia as she not only has to save Charlie from a hostage-like situation, but she also has to make a very important trade… with no room for error. The risk of her being caught really had me on the edge, but when it came to Charlie’s situation, I didn’t really feel concerned about him. He still felt like a very ‘meh’ character to me, regardless of how much he meant to Mia. Mia’s mindset was to do this one job, and in return, she wanted her freedom, as well as the freedom of Charlie and her grandmother. Would they agree to her request? Or was this only the start? I enjoyed finding out more truths about Mia and her family; things went much deeper than both I, and she, expected, and these truths were something she’d have to learn to live with. I couldn’t predict the ending to this book, but I sensed danger, and maybe not everything would go to plan… And would we see Mia’s grandmother back to full health?

“With nowhere else to turn, she looked up to the cross and prayed. Not just for one miracle, but for three.”

I’d noticed the odd spelling/grammatical error as I read, but I found a couple more towards the end – they really are a pet peeve of mine. I understand that we’re all human and things can get overlooked, but I did feel like this book could have done with another pair of eyes before being published. It does take me out of a story! However, the ending felt decent and a good round of up events. Justice is served in a satisfying way and it did have some of the elements I’d been hoping for! Saying this, I don’t think it will be one of those endings which sticks with me, but it does what it sets out to do well. I’m not sure if there are any more books planned to follow on from this one, but I would be curious to read another book by this author with a new setting and new cast of characters. If you like a crime novel set around a family with plenty of secrets and deception along the way, you may enjoy this one! I am going to research more books with that family crime feel after this – I am curious to see what else is out there!

Overall thoughts

Kaleidoscope of Secrets has a really interesting premise, combining crime with family secrets and deception. Despite its slow start and some repetitiveness throughout the book, there was always some intrigue, something to keep me reading until the end which was a highlight! There were some interesting characters, (Nikki in particular) and some scenes which really had me wondering what on earth would go down. I really enjoyed the danger and the uncertainty in places. However I felt it was lacking that excitement I was expecting, and it wasn’t really a book I wanted to pick back up. But all in all, an okay debut with a satisfying ending. I know this book has plenty of great reviews, so definitely take a chance on it if you like the sound of it!

Kaleidoscope of Secrets is out right now on Amazon, available in eBook and paperback.

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