Elizabeth Chandler’s Dark Secrets is an omnibus of two of her Wisteria novels, young adult novels full of suspense and a healthy dollop of the supernatural. The two novels, Legacy of Lies and Don’t Tell, both take place in the sleepy (well, in appearance) town of Wisteria, Maryland.  Wisteria is a small town, and the small town feel allows Chandler to explore a level of coincidence and curiosity that might be impossible in a big city.  Whatever the crime or mystery, there is always a sense of the town itself, of something old and complicated, full of stories and secrets.

The fact that Wisteria feels so alive adds depth to these young adult thrillers; the town itself seems both a protector and a tempter; the thing that has drawn these young women to these secrets and the road they must take to find out the truth.  These girls are usually deeply connected to Wisteria, even if they have no memory of ever visiting.

Legacy of Lies begins with a dream and a feeling of danger, and, as always, a pull towards the town and the people in it.

Last night I visited the house again. It looked as it did ten years ago, when I dreamed about it often. I’ve never seen the house in real life, at least not that I can remember…Last night the door was locked. That’s how I awoke, trying with all my strength to open it, desperate to get inside. Something was wrong…

No matter how certain Megan is that something is wrong in her dream, in real life she is mostly concerned with the reception she will get from her grandmother, a woman famous for her lack of interest in her daughter’s life and family.  Megan arrives for her visit with a cautious optimism and caustic sense of humour that make her a very pleasant character to follow through the winding roads and histories of Wisteria.  Megan’s forthright attitude and inquisitive nature make her search for the truth of what is going on around her inevitable, but she is quickly caught up in a past that could prove more deadly than she realizes.  Whatever she thinks, the danger in her dream is closer than she imagines, and her appearance in town stirs up some old secrets and new threats.

Don’t Tell, the second novel in the omnibus, takes a look at a different part of Wisteria, away from the mansion that Megan’s grandmother inhabits.  Across town, we meet Lauren, a girl deeply scarred by the death of her mother seven years ago.  Haunted by terrifying memories of her mother’s breakdown and drowning, she has only just been able to return to Wisteria to visit her Aunt Jules. She, like Megan, is searching for a sense of belonging and family. But Lauren does not realize that her struggle to heal, and hopefully lay some of her ghosts to rest, puts her in danger. Someone in the house has a secret to keep, and the death of Lauren’s mother was only a beginning.

Chandler does an excellent job of keeping the story moving and the suspense at a peak.  Although there is also a (very slight) romance to these stories, the mystery, and the dangers the girls encounter on their searches are the most important aspects.  The language is lively and the dialogue snappy, with a definite edge of “teenager attitude” that keeps the girls (and their friends) from crossing the line into unbelievable perfection. These novels are a fun way to while away time, and Chandler’s protagonists are inquisitive, brave, and certainly worth cheering on to victory.

Bookmark to