Joni, Eden, Deb, and Trina met at school when they were twelve and they have been best friends ever since. They shared everything, not only surnames starting with C and their Scorpio star sign - they all know each other’s secrets. Or so they think. Between juggling careers, husbands and children, they don’t have much time left for each other but luckily their traditional annual holiday always brings them together. And Joni wants to make sure that this holiday brings them closer than ever so they decide to each write anonymously a letter revealing a secret they never shared with the others. But will the truth bring them closer or will it separate them? And who wrote the fifth letter that Joni found burning in the fire?
A brilliant and compelling novel where a twenty-year-old friendship is tested by the secrets they have been keeping. The plot is fascinating and I found the characters likable and irritating at the same time. Playing on the anonymity of the letters, the author creates suspense and anticipation as truths – and lies – are spilled page after page. (NP)
The Fifth Letter, by Nicola Moriarty, asks how well do you really know your friends? The summary says: "Four friends ... Joni, Deb, Eden, and Trina have been best friends since high school, sharing a bond that has seen them through their teenage years and into adulthood. But now, time and circumstance is starting to pull them apart as careers, husbands, and babies get in the way. As their yearly vacation becomes less of a priority - at least for three of the women - how can Joni find a way to draw the four of them back together?
Four secrets ... During a laughter and wine-filled night, the women dare one another to write anonymous letters, spilling their deepest, darkest secrets. But the fun game turns devastating, exposing cracks in their lives and the friendship they share. Each letter is a dark confession revealing shocking information. A troubled marriage? A secret crush? A hidden pregnancy? A heartbreaking cry for help?
Five letters ... Late on one of their last nights together, after the other three have gone to bed, Joni notices something in the fireplace - a burnt, crumpled, nearly destroyed, sheet of paper that holds the most shattering revelation of all. It is a fifth letter - a hate-filled rant that exposes a vicious, deeply hidden grudge that has festered for decades. But who wrote it? Which one of them has seethed with resentment all these years? What should Joni do?
Best friends are supposed to keep your darkest secrets. But the revelations Joni, Deb, Eden and Trina have shared will ripple through their lives with unforeseen consequences ... and things will never be the same." The Fifth Letter is out in January 2017.