Eres un funcionario mal pagado que sueña con dejarlo todo y convertirse en un autor de renombre. Vives con una madre dominante que siempre parece interrumpirte cuando estás escribiendo una escena crucial. Tienes una imaginación oscura, y tu inspiración son las cosas horribles que le pueden ocurrir a una joven que viaja sola. Van a publicar tu aterradora historia sobre un asesinato en el metro. Y aún mejor, la van al llevar al cine. Te persigue una joven y atractiva periodista. Pero… Te han despedido. La periodista desea una entrevista, no una cita. El director de la película quiere que hagas algunos cambios en la historia. Y lo peor de todo, se te ha secado la imaginación. Solo tienes que matar a alguien más…

Sometimes Campbell is just too effective at bringing disturbing characters to life. In this one, a dole office employee finds himself becoming a notorious local celebrity after his crime story wins a competition in a new magazine. It's partly black comedy, making satirical jibes at all kinds of targets, but eventually takes a turn into dark and uncomfortable territory. Which is where, after a short while, it begins to fall apart. It loses its energy, at times approaches farce, and comes quietly to its end. A novel that begins strongly but which by the end is undermined by its flaws.

Dudley's a budding writer, but his day-job is a pain in the butt. What he wants to do is just chuck it all and start doing what he loves best – writing his dark morbid imaginative stories! Then out of the blue, a magazine wants to publish his first short gruesome short story, and interview him for the cover story, plus a film director wants to turn it all into a movie! But first he needs to come up with a follow-up story. Unfortunately, for Dudley, he develops writer's block. What does he do?

British horror-master Ramsey Campbell strikes gold with this one. Vowing to do a change n keep things short in his novels, he take u along for one hell of a ride, riddled with much black humour - the kind only the Brits are good at, and parodies that age old question that haunts all authors .... where do u get ur ideas from? A truly fun read from start to finish. Highly recommended. ( )

I enjoyed the fast pace and fascinating characters of Secret Story. I thought the characters were quite well-drawn and the story gripping. An entertaining read! ( )

A complex thriller, I think it’s some kind of pulp fiction masterpiece. Worth a read.