The characters are also one of the book’s strengths. They feel fleshed out, they have real motives, and they’re not just there to decorate the scenery.
About the book
Malta, 1943. The war in the air above Malta is over, but the battle for Europe is about to begin. Margarita, a young singer in a Valletta nightclub, has not seen her former lover Henry Dunn since breaking off their affair. His wife Vera, an enigmatic archaeologist, arrives at the club to tell her that Henry has disappeared, presumed dead. While investigating, Margarita stumbles upon the hunt for a notorious and dangerous Nero. As an unlikely bond develops between the two women, and strange secrets emerge, an urgent quest to unmask Nero starts – before he can enact a deadly plan that may threaten the course of the war.
My honest review
I’ve just finished Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench, and I thought I’d share some honest thoughts here, in case anyone is curious about picking it up. As someone who has lived on this island all my life, I always approach books set in Malta with a bit of suspicion. Too often they make us look like nothing more than a giant fortress floating in the Mediterranean, forever stuck in the middle of a war. Now, of course, war is a big part of our history—you can’t walk through Valletta without feeling that—but it’s not the whole of us. We also have busy modern lives, Sunday lunches that last forever, and plenty of arguments about parking.
The good news is that Blench does get a lot right. Her descriptions of the streets and the atmosphere were familiar without being exaggerated, and I appreciated that she made the island feel alive rather than just a backdrop. The story itself has some strong moments. The pace picks up nicely when the plot leans into secrecy, betrayal, and survival. There were sections where I stayed up later than I meant to because I was genuinely hooked—always a sign the author is doing something right. The characters are also one of the book’s strengths. They feel fleshed out, they have real motives, and they’re not just there to decorate the scenery.
That said, I did find that parts of the book dragged. There were moments where the descriptions or the “set-up” went on too long, especially in the first half. I found myself waiting for the story to really get moving, and during those stretches, my attention wandered. Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit heavy, as though it was trying to explain too much instead of letting the story flow naturally. The pacing overall was uneven—very gripping in some chapters, then slower than needed in others. Still, in the end, it’s a worthwhile read. If someone wants a novel that combines a strong sense of history with believable human drama, this delivers.
I liked that it acknowledged Malta’s war-torn past but also let the characters exist outside of it, as people with their own struggles, secrets, and choices. I came away feeling that Blench gave us something a bit more layered than the standard “Malta equals war story,” and for that, I’m grateful. It’s not perfect, but it’s engaging, atmospheric, and definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in our little island and its stories.
Book details
- ISBN:978-1804181782
- Print length: 400 pages
- Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)
