A quick, entertaining read. If you love gossip, this is one for you! 3.5/5 stars.
Thank you to Penguin UK and NetGalley for giving me an e-copy of this book.
The paperback of The Fifth Letter will be published in the UK two weeks today on Thursday 23rd February. But if you can’t wait, the good news is that the Kindle Edition is already available for download.
The blurb: Joni, Trina, Deb and Eden. Best friends since the first day of school. Best friends, they liked to say, forever. But now they are in their thirties and real life – husbands, children, work – has got in the way. So, resurrecting their annual trip away, Joni has an idea, something to help them reconnect. Each woman will write an anonymous letter, sharing with their friends the things that are really going on in their lives.
But as the confessions come tumbling out, Joni starts to feel the certainty of their decades-long friendships slip from her fingers. Anger. Accusations. Desires. Deceit. And then she finds another letter. One that was never supposed to be read. A fifth letter. Containing a secret so big that its writer had tried to destroy it. And now Joni is starting to wonder, did she ever really know her friends at all?
My take:
The premise for this book is solid and intriguing. When reading the blurb, the mention of Joni’s “great” idea to get the friends to share huge secrets anonymously already had me thinking, “Well, that’s not going to go well, is it?!” So I was surprised that The Fifth Letter turned out to be a lighter book than I’d expected, although the dark undertones are certainly there. Moriarty could easily have taken this story into thriller territory if she had wanted, and the narrative walks a fine line between domestic melodrama, mystery and psychological thriller.
The plot itself, with its many secrets and revelations, is compelling and managed to hold my interest even though the main character – Joni – is incredibly annoying. Several times she says to herself, “Oo, hark at me, I should really stop being so selfish and making this all about me, shouldn’t I?” and then proceeds to be selfish and make it all about her. Again. Honestly, a little part of me was hoping one of her friends would freak out and kill her… but then that would have taken us firmly into psychological thriller territory!
Despite it’s more irritating characters, the story cleverly keeps its vital cards close to its chest, revealing a new surprise every few chapters to keep you hooked and turning the pages. The author juggles all the women’s secrets with great skill and when the final reveals come, everything makes sense, even though the identity of the writer of the fifth letter and their motivation was the most unbelievable element of the whole plot.
Overall: The Fifth Letter is a quick, easy, entertaining read. If you’re someone who loves gossip and finding out about other people’s private lives, then this could well be one for you.
Claire Huston / Art and Soul
Art and Soul 
I like how you’ve described the book.I think I like abit of gossip so I hope I’ll enjoy it.I already got the ARC after I saw you mention the book sometime back.Great review!
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Thank you!
I hope you’ll enjoy it. It’s a good read if you don’t take it too seriously. And the author does an excellent job of letting us in on just enough of the mystery every few chapters to keep us interested.
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I just downloaded this book, and I’m eager to read it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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I hope you enjoy it. I think it’s great strength is how the author drip-feeds us the revelations to keep us interested (and help us get past how annoying Joni is!).
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“When reading the blurb, the mention of Joni’s ‘great’ idea to get the friends to share huge secrets anonymously already had me thinking, ‘Well, that’s not going to go well, is it?!'”
I was thinking the same thing as soon as I read that! Seriously, there are some things that should just remain unsaid! Sounds like an interesting book though. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Exactly! I have a similar feeling about truth or dare, but at least that tends to stay silly. In this case, the letters were only going to lead to chaos-creating secrets coming out!
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This sounds good, but I can’t stand annoying MCs. They can really ruin a great book. At least Jodi didn’t do that here.
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I think the author did a terrific job of creating an irritating character but not letting her destroy my interest! Seriously though, I did hope it would turn nasty and someone would push her down the stairs!
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Lol. I love it!
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I have the ARC if this and was in two minds about it when I got it. I’ve now read several reviews and I’m not convinced about reading it. I think this may be one I end up skipping. I’m just not feeling it.
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As I read it, I alternated between convinced and unconvinced. I think it’s probably best to give it a miss if you’re not sure.
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Very intriguing (and I love gossip 😉 great way to sell the book lol)
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That part of the book is great – I’m so nosey!! 🙂
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Right? Lol it doesn’t even matter if it’s good gossip either 😜
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I felt very similar – entertaining but lighter than I expected, and some bits v unbelievable. I have to say I got a bit too irritated with the gossip aspect. Still an enjoyable read though. Great review!
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Thank you!
Some bits were ludicrous! I kept feeling sorry for the priest who was listening to Joni – haha! Some one his comments were the funniest thing in the book 🙂
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Agreed! haha 🙂
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