Finders Keepers
A hidden key. A storage unit. Over £100,000 in cash. And a body.
This is the grim inheritance Mel, Liv, and Jennie stumble upon after Mel's mother dies. Desperate and bound by a lifetime of friendship, they make a terrible pact: take the money, hide the body, and never speak of it again.
Their secret doesn't stay buried for long. Anonymous messages start, threatening to expose their crime unless every last penny is returned. But there's a problem: a significant portion of the cash is already gone, and only one of them knows where.
As trust shatters and accusations fly, the friends turn on each other. With their lives and families on the line, these women face a horrifying choice, knowing that one terrible secret could save them all—or lead to a betrayal none of them will survive.
- Mel - Mary’s twin
- Mary - Mel’s twin
- Liv - Mel’s friend
- Jennie - Mel’s friend
- William - Jennie’s husband
- Jane - Mel and Mary’s mother, deceased
- Eloise - Jane’s sister
- Isaac - Police officer, Mel’s cousin
- Kevin - Isaac’s father
- Malcolm - Kevin’s twin, Mel’s father
- Roan - Jennie and William’s son, 1
- Beatrice - Jennie and William’s daughter, 5
- Mel and Mary had a falling out over money seven years earlier.
- Mel finds a key to a unit at Mason’s Storage in Jane’s house.
- Mel takes Liv and Jennie with her to the storage unit, where they find a lot of cash and a dead body in a trunk.
- They take the money and decide not to call the police about the body.
- Liv plans to use the money to get her own place and get away from her very controlling parents.
- William tells Jennie he lost his job a month ago and owes money to a loan shark.
- Mel gets an e-mail stating the sender knows they have the money and wants all £1.2 million of it, but there was only £100,000 in the storage unit.
- Jennie gives the loan shark £30,000 and he says he needs the final £20,000 by the end of the week.
- Mel gives Jennie £20,000 from her share.
- Isaac tells Mel he’s trying to figure out what happened to his father to get some closure.
- Liv’s father finds her bag of money and throws it into the fire.
- Liv stole the Rolex off the dead body, thinking she could sell it.
- William admits to Jennie that he signed over the deed to their house to the loan shark.
- Eloise tells Mel that Jane and Kevin dated in 1984 before Jane married Malcolm, but something happened that summer that split them up - Jane came home with a bruise and scratches on her face but would not tell Eloise what happened.
- Mel and Liv find Jennie’s body along with a note saying they have one week to deliver the money or things will get worse.
- Mel tells Isaac what she learned from Eloise.
- Mel learns that Kevin owned a Rolex and realizes he must be the body in the storage unit.
- Liv empties the contents of the storage unit into a van so she can take her time searching for the rest of the money.
- Mel finds her mother’s diaries and reads about her meeting and falling in love with Kevin.
- Diary 1984: Jane broke up with Kevin after finding out he was a criminal and was about to go to prison for ten months for stealing money. The bruise and scratches were from her falling down when she ran away after hearing the news.
- Diary 1989: Jane finds out she’s pregnant and realizes that the babies are Kevin’s.
- Isaac attacks Liv and she fights back and puts him in the back of the van.
- Liv calls Mel and asks for her help.
- Mel says she’s going to call the police, so Liv throws her in the van with Isaac.
- Liv drives the van to her parents vacation house in the woods.
- Liv shoots Isaac in the chest with a hunting rifle, killing him.
- Mel calls police and both women tell them the truth about everything and are arrested.
- Liv gives Mel the Rolex she stole from Kevin’s corpse.
- Four weeks later: Mel is charged with perverting the course of justice.
- Liv is charged with involuntary manslaughter.
- Mary shows up at Mel’s house, holds a knife to Liv’s throat and tells Mel she wants the £1.2 million from the storage unit.
- Mary is the loan shark William borrowed money from.
- Mary was the one sending the threatening notes
- Mary killed Jennie.
- Mel calls the police and Mary is arrested.
- Three months later: Mel and Liv are both cleared of all crimes and avoid jail time.
- Isaac was a crooked cop with a gambling addiction who used to work for Mary to earn extra money.
- Diary: Kevin tells Jane that the £1.2 million is hidden in a bank account and the details are on a microchip hidden in his Rolex.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an advanced copy of this title.
Jessica Huntley delivers a fast-paced thriller where virtually every character is hiding something. It is a quick, easy read, with short to medium chapters that keep the momentum moving continuously as the hidden motives come to light. The dynamic between the three main characters - Mel, Liv, and Jennie - was particularly interesting to watch play out. You could feel the underlying tension between them, and it was clear that certain pairs within the group had much stronger bonds than others. Isaac was also a standout character for me; even with limited page time, his presence added an intriguing layer of mystery that kept me guessing.
While most of the plot hits the mark, a choice near the end regarding how the fallout resolves fell a bit flat for me. However, the final twist lands well. Even though I guessed the outcome, the execution was clever enough to make for a satisfying reveal.
If you like fast-paced thrillers, complex friendship dynamics, and well-executed plot twists, then you will enjoy this book.
#NetGalley #FindersKeepers
- Jennie - Dead - Throat slashed by Mary
- Isaac - Dead - Shot by Liv
- Mel - Alive - Happy to have the past behind her
- Liv - Alive - Living in her own place, free from her parents’ control
- Mary - Alive - In prison for financial fraud and murder
- Death
- Loss of a parent
- Blackmail
- Murder
ISBN: 9781837567775
Publication Date: September 27, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
