I need to talk about Maeve Kerrigan - includes The Secret Room[SPOILERS] *Title edited by MNHQ*

[Zitouna]

Following recommendations from on here I’ve just read the whole Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey over the Christmas holidays, and need to talk about my latest obsession!

has anyone else read them all? Happy to try and discuss without spoilers if people haven’t. They are basically brilliant police procedurals with a lot of character-driven background stuff - there are 10 main books, plus a few shorter spin offs set in the same world. The next one is out in March and I’d like to fill the gap with chat if possible!

Thoughts/predictions from me: Hoping beyond hope that the relationship stuff is resolved at least a bit in the next one, but predict more angst before it is. It might sort of ‘end’ the series - but then Casey could continue a series of the spin offs instead.

I had a question on chronology if anyone has read them all- wondering whether The Outsider (Rob spin off) is supposed to come before or after The Close? I think it matters for the relationship arc, and I can’t decide!

OMG that was a great ending. I'll respect the Author's note while people catch up.

Finisssssssshed. Loved the ending and the author note .

The Cormac Reilly series or DI Lucy Golden. Both fab and similar sort of thing.

Ok, so I know it’s my thread so (sort of!) my call on when we can discuss details. I’ve asked mumsnet to amend the thread title, to make clear we’re discussing TSR. Very conscious of the author note tho, so might still be a bit vague!

some more reactions from me… I did a very quick read, so need to reread all again more slowly (though I’ve already read the end section again several times!).

Focusing on the ending first - I thought it was VERY well done and true to character and psychology of both. Obviously expectations were very high and I had wondered earlier in this thread how much Casey could realistically show without it being a bit of a let down - but I thought she managed it brilliantly, focusing a lot on character. I always love how real a person Maeve seems but I thought her reactions/thoughts from the point they left the office together and back at her flat were really subtly drawn and perfectly in character. And the very ending is bonkers and yet somehow also very much in character.

I enjoyed the detecting bits in this one too - whilst I guessed parts of the Melissa storyline there were enough twists in it to crank up the tension. And the Ilaria mystery was also pleasing - I didn’t feel especially emotionally gripped by that plot line, but given everything else going on it felt quite nice to have something a bit more procedural amongst it all.

Loved all the bits with Luke (enjoyed the snippet about Emily in particular). And random thought that it all felt v 2020s, though I can’t really point to why. I did wonder if Casey would skip covid given the books are bit timeless, and it feels like she probably is doing that (and I’m pleased).

Have tried to have some vaguely proper thoughts about it all rather than just squeaking in glee

@Zitouna completely agree with all of that. I also thought the dedication to readers and the readers’ note at the end are lovely! Interesting to see where the series goes next.

Oh, just to add - I really liked the bit where the team re-enact the locked room theory to see if it works. Even Una takes part!

I audibled it too quickly 😜was room 411 connected to 412 by interconnecting doors? I think I missed that, also confused because surely it would be 410 and 411 would be opposite?

I’ll come back with my thoughts on the end when we’re free to not talk in code, and I’ve listened again.

Just finished.

BLIMEY!

I loved most of it but I thought the Melissa stuff was just that bit too convenient

wondering what the ending means for their careers,

still trying my best to be vague!

Oh that was worth the wait. Very twisty - I guessed all the Ilaria bits and knew what Melissa had done from the start of the book; I’m either a brilliant detective or more likely, I read too many detective novels!!!

Can’t wait to come back and discuss when we can go through it all line by line!

I worked out some of it fairly quickly but not all of it! There was one bit where I think you could almost have seen a lightbulb going on over my head!
Loved the interactions with Maeve’s mum who is clearly a force to be reckoned with and a skilled interrogator!

I also worked out a fair bit. I did feel slightly conflicted about the Melissa storyline. On the one hand, it made for an excellent plot. On the other…

And I also loved Maeve’s mum.

Oo remembered another bit - the fact that Godley is now an Assistant Commissioner! I hope we see him again.

I was slightly surprised by Una’s happiness at the end (“beaming”) - but maybe the career impact is something that could serve her ends?! On the other hand, she seemed more mellow in this book - and pretty much defended Josh in the investigation - so maybe not so!

I think Una’s realised Josh is more of an asset than a liability. Pretty sure she’d still choose Maeve if she had to choose between them, but it was good to hear her defend him.Una likes to be fair, of course.
yes, that’s quite the turnaround for Godley! Maybe he’ll reappear in future with a special case for Maeve and Josh to solve. Or he’ll just be blatantly name-dropped in difficult situations! 😂

Gosh it's very hard to give any more thoughts without spoilers. There's SO much to talk about in detail. I'm writing an essay to cover as much as I can without saying anything 😂

@Zitouna that's such a great non-spoilery summary and I agree with everything you said.

Agree with everything a few more of you said too - loved the dedication, author note and team re-enactment. Jane read the author note on the audible version which was lovely. Also, Caroline Lennon did an AMAZING job - I would really recommend trying an audible version if you haven't already.

I'm not as 'book hungover' as I was after ASITF and I'm not sure that's a good thing. I was emotional but not to the extent I would have expected to be, given how much happened. I liked it, a lot, and I can't stop thinking about it, but right now I'm not sure I absolutely love it yet (I want to).

I did feel like the book title gave a bit too much of a clue to the Ilaria storyline, although I still didn't guess the who/why or even full detail of the how. I'm going to re-listen again starting tomorrow and pay more attention to all of that.

Ironically, given that I'm in two minds about the whole end section, I really didn't like that Maeve and Josh weren't in scenes together for a big part of the book. I can't remember the exact chapter but it suddenly hit me that we hadn't had banter between them (or even angst) for ages and I missed it hugely. I'm not proud of that, because Maeve is so amazing on her own (and I almost punched the air a few times when she worked key things out) so I feel like I'm disrespecting her by thinking she needs Josh in the background. Argh so conflicted.

But then I really didn't like Josh - or almost didn't recognise him - when he was with Maeve. It was like he was back to his early, awful self 😠. I felt he was treating her terribly - even if his motive was good (as he saw it) and selfless. She was hurt and sad so many times because of how he behaved towards her. It was like he'd completely regressed from ASITF despite her telling him then that there were two of them in the stupid situation. However, I've been reading back over Jane's social media posts and her editor did say this book was peak Joshness/Maeveness. Maybe that's what she meant.

Or, it could have been referring to the last few chapters (i.e. from the meeting room onwards). I'm very happy about what happened but conflicted about how it happened (and especially how it kicked off). I do wish it had been different. There's one specific part, quite early in that section, that I really didn't like or understand yet. But I did think it was really well written overall and we got more (lovely and fun) insight than I'd expected.

As for the final chapter, if I'd known that was the ending beforehand I would have been dreading it. But, in some weird way, it felt right and again, was really so well written and delightful. I would have preferred if it had been kept for the next book though. I hope Maeve 13 doesn't pick up after June 🙁. I have to keep reminding myself that's a possibility as Jane is a crime writer first and foremost.

Does anyone think large parts of the early drafts must have been cut? I could swear I saw something about Godley being in this one, but we only got a mention of him. And Jane had said she was writing "a few paragraphs for Maeve 12 that fill in some behind-the-scenes moments from the series and it's EMOTIONAL." I don't think we got that? Or was it emotional because our lead characters finally knew some of what we knew during that end section?

Can you tell that I wish I knew you all in person so we could sit a in a room and pore over every chapter 😂

And it took me so long to write that I missed the last few posts 🤦‍♀️. I do hope Godley comes back properly in future books! Am also not exactly sure why Una was beaming - I hope it was for genuine happy reasons but you can never tell with her.

Also, the Melissa storyline probably needs a whole thread of its own 😳. I did call her unladylike names multiple times while I was listening and I loved the face-offs. But I'm not sure the trauma that whole story would have caused was dealt with sufficiently.

I wonder if the backfilling stuff is what ended up being the short story that was sent to those who preordered?

I also agree that the title was too much of a giveaway to the murder plot.

Oh that’s a good point @ChessieFL because we did get the conference call. Not sure what I was hoping for really - I suppose more of a shocked and 🥹 reaction from the relevant parties as they realised signs they’d missed over the years.

I just reread the first book on Kindle. I'd forgotten or hadn't noticed a chapter after the acknowledgements where Josh first sees Maeve. I'm sure I hadn't noticed it before.

I think that chapter was added later on once Jane decided to take their relationship in that direction, it wasn’t part of the book when originally published.

@ChessieFL Oh ok.

@Atlantic252 I thought the backfilling bit was the ‘when did you decide this should happen?’ conversation, that sort of made it make sense from all sides.

a few more thoughts. Shared squeamishness on the way the Melissa storyline developed - and for a long time was thinking that couldn’t be it (tho the illness thing I guessed early). I had all sorts of wild thoughts about her being somehow involved with Maeve’s ex, which was a bit mad. In the end, I was so bloody relieved that I got over it.

then on Derwent’s behaviour early in the book (or for much of it really!) I was also horrified and very cross with Jane. I thought she made a good job of bringing the psychology of it all together tho, i.e protectiveness and manipulative tendencies which have been there all along.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

and his remark that he stayed away at the beginning because he wasn’t what she needed - rather than because he was warned off/she was in a relationship - does, rather cleverly, make the whole thing consistent and make sense and is sort of a blanket explanation for every dodgy thing he has ever done!

@LogansWalk I think we need a diagram of the rooms 😂. I was confused too but I'm going to try again during the re-listen to see if I can figure the layout.

@Zitouna yes I guess the backfilling was that bit - nice but not EMOTIONAL in caps I thought 😂.

At one stage I thought Melissa had involved Seth too! It was something about the way Melissa brought up what Maeve had gone through in her attack. And wasn't he one of the suspects on Josh's list that he gave to Roz (at least I thought he was hinted at)?

I am going to copy your approach to ask you all about one thing that's really bothered me:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

At the start of that scene (still trying to be secret-ish) - I absolutely hated the whole 'rolling up the sleeves' at one side of the room and then the other person at the other side of the room being ordered to undress. I'm definitely not a prude but it seemed AWFUL - so cold and unromantic and without a hint of affection or even desire - especially given the story so far and the significance. He knew she was nervous, but were we supposed to think he was still testing her? I felt sorry for her, because I always thought she's not confident in her looks (despite us all knowing she's a stunner) and it made her so vulnerable. And despite what he said, it did make it seem like this wasn't a big deal to him.
On the other hand, I loved the way it was all written after that - lovely and so them - and she did say afterwards that it hadn't been awkward, so I really feel like I'm missing something or making a big deal of nothing 🙁.

the thing about Derwent was his absolute blind spot about mothers and children. He’d never in a million years think that what was actually happening could occur. He also has a genius for doing the bonkers thing for what he misguidedly thinks is the right reason. All his little schemes are always the wrong thing for the right reason/best intention, in fact. In the last book Maeve even points this out. I liked the last scene because they were back on their old game-playing, teasing footing. She can undo anything he has planned, it’s the way they are communicating that counts. But I can’t help thinking poor Thomas. How on earth is he going to get over that?