whitneydaniell

by: Joy Fielding
published: August 27, 2025
genre: Mystery, Thriller
352 Pages, E-Book ARC Courtesy of NetGalley
Goodreads | Amazon

Men, can’t live with’em, can’t shoot’em.
– Jenny Cooper

When Linda Davidson’s best friend in the whole world is moved into Legacy Place—an assisted living facility—due to the progression of her Alzheimer’s, Linda becomes the sole keeper of their shared memories and secrets. Carol’s condition is declining, and though visiting her is painful, Linda keeps showing up. That is, until she meets Jenny Cooper.

Jenny is another resident at Legacy Place and, by all accounts, she seems a bit unhinged. One day, she confides in Linda with a shocking claim: she kills people. So… what is Linda supposed to do with that?

As the two form an unlikely friendship, Linda finds herself visiting Jenny more than Carol. She feels guilty about it—of course—but her time with Carol is now filled with silence and sadness, while Jenny gives her something else. Something wild, strange, and almost hopeful.

Jenny Cooper is 92 years old and full of stories. She’s been a pharmacist, married three times, brushed shoulders with the Hollywood elite, and bounced around from L.A. to Jupiter, Florida. According to Jenny, a handful of people needed to die along the way—and she made it happen. But… did she? Is she telling the truth, or is it the dementia talking? And does it even matter when no one would believe her anyway?

Meanwhile, Linda is also navigating her own messy life. She’s still grieving her husband’s recent death and hosting her adult daughter Kleo and Kleo’s husband, Mick. Kleo took a year off from teaching to finish her PhD, but of course, Mick decided that was the perfect time to quit his job and start a digital marketing company. With limited income and rising tension, their marriage starts to spiral.

Let me just say it: Mick is trash. A vile, selfish, manipulative loser—and yet Kleo keeps making excuses for him. When his reckless behavior starts interfering with Kleo’s work and well-being, Linda steps in to protect her daughter.

My Final Thoughts

I wasn’t sure where this was going at first. The plane landed—but the flight was bumpy.

The plot felt a bit disjointed. I kept waiting for the suspense to kick in, or some actual mystery or thrills, and they never really came. I understand that Jenny’s dementia is supposed to blur the line between fantasy and truth, but that ambiguity made the story feel a little flat. Most of the book is dialogue—mainly between Linda and Jenny—and because of Jenny’s condition, a lot of that dialogue ends up being repetitive or rambling.

Honestly, I would’ve preferred if Jenny lived on an independent floor, had most of her mental faculties intact, and left us truly wondering whether she was a killer. I wanted to believe her!

Also… not to nitpick, but how is it that with all the Googling Linda and Mick supposedly did, not one person from Jenny’s life turned up? Really? Are we meant to believe she made everything up? If that’s a spoiler, my bad—but I needed more resolution.

That said, I didn’t hate it. I finished it quickly, so clearly I was invested enough to want to know how it ended. But once I got there, I felt underwhelmed.

This could be a fun book club pick for women of a certain age (55+—and that’s no shade). It just didn’t deliver the thrill I want in my thrillers. There’s not much mystery and definitely no real murder—two things I usually look for.

Read it or don’t. Makes me no nevermind.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of Jenny Cooper Has a Secret by Joy Fielding. I appreciate the chance to read and review this title ahead of its release.