The Secret: Now a major TV drama Paperback – 28 April 2016

This was an excellent true crime book. It tells of two people meeting, falling in love and starting a life together. It's not all rosy, but that's as for most. There are many people who have affairs, split up, divorce-but some go to extremes. What makes them go so far as to kill? This book examines.I've read quite a few brief true crime books recently but this is a good long read. It has quite a bit of background. It starts right back where Lesley is a student nurse, before she meets Colin Howell.The Howell's were respectable, church going people. Active and involved members of the church eg. with Youth Fellowship and Duke of Edinburgh award Scheme. By the time Lesley is pregnant with their third child, Colin is a successful dentist and he is buying his own dental practice. After everything going well, things turn sour, there are mounting money worries, and affairs.You just can't imagine 'the other woman', Hazel, wanting to be with Colin, knowing what he's done to his wife. Was she not just a bit worried he could end up doing the same to her one day? This seemed a tad slow at first-I started it a while ago, just read the first bit, and went on to read something else-but I came back to it, started it again, and it builds to a gripping true crime case. A real page-turner and a good, in-depth treatment of this case. Contains comments from people who knew them, church people etc. and they tell about their character and manner then. This is very well put together from interviews etc.Please note that this book 'The Secret' is a TV tie-in edition and is the same book as 'Let This Be Our Secret' by the same author. As there are two editions, with different ASIN numbers, then someone wouldn't be aware that they were buying the same book that they already had, only the cover and the title is different.

In light of the recent Hazel Buchanan trial and appeal, this book gives voices to the victims in a respectful, almost affectionate way, as if the author knew Lesley and Trevor personally and wanted to speak out for them as individuals.It's well written and it's from the heart. I bought it because I wanted to know more about Trevor Buchanan and Lesley Howell, rather than leaving them objectified as victims.There are moments reading this when I was moved to tears; proud of Lesley qualifying as a nurse, proud of Trevor making it as a policeman, heartbroken for their families and their children left to grow up without them.The two pictures most typically used by the news media don't do them justice, and they were only in their thirties, hardly any older than their own children are now.This book paints more fully what was lost and reminds that underneath the 'is-she-isn't-she-guilty' publicity surrounding Hazel, this is a story, (to quote David Stewart), of "real human tragedy" - and this book a more than fitting tribute to the people Colin Howell murdered, as well as a thoroughly researched journalistic portrayal of the events as they happened and the views of different people involved.The book cover update is possibly designed to trade on Hazel Stewart's renowned looks, and this makes you think the contents will be more salacious and gossipy than they actually are, its actually a very disturbing, sad, tragic and touching read.

Incredible story. So tragic for the people involved. It showed up the hypocrisy of the Baptist Church and all their meddling and interference. All about appearances, pretences and power. Powell married the first girl he met ,Leslie and neither of them ended their relationship when they realised it wasn't going well. Instead they married and surprisingly for a nurse, Leslie was almost pregnant every year of their short marriage. The fact that Leslie had just had a baby didn't stop Hazel from seeing her husband and having an affair. So much for all those happy clapping Baptist morals. All this set against the back drop of some of the most beautiful landscape in northern Ireland. .... And then the whole thing blows up and lives are shattered. ..... Finally after it all came out, Hazel pleaded not guilty and Powell, (with his God complex) enjoyed his day in court at her expense, at her trial. Big mistake! She should have pleaded guilty to the part she played and saved herself a trial instead of giving Powell the opportunity to be a star witness against her. He showed himself to be a particular vile and nasty man in this role.. He pleaded guilty and got time off his sentence, she did not.... Finally there is some closure for the families of Leslie and Trevor and hopefully they've finally got justice for them at last.

A true story about a greedy arrogant, prick and his vain, slapper of a girlfriend. I purchased this book out of curiosity really. I like true crime and when I saw the advert for the TV adaption I purchased the book. This story really has it all...... drugs,greed, sex, adultery,affairs, religion and 2 HUGE hypocrites! It was a fascinating read and went deep into the mind of a murderer and his sidekick. Your heart will go out to the victims and their families. Once the murders were out of the bag, one of the guilty party still claimed innocence which knocked me sick! Also, I thought that religious conditioning was not a protestant thing, clearly I was wrong. Justice is finally being served though I suspect that Howell was never going to take the rap alone (and in that I agree with him) As for Stewart and her appeals.....yet another sign of disrespect to the people she hurt and to the memory of the dead not to mention her God! Probably one of the saddest parts of the story is that the relationship didn't last - so it was all for nothing. Those murders were completely pointless!! The author did a fine job of bringing this tragic story to light.