A new crime novel which features a woman experiencing menopausal symptoms as its main character has been launched to help give more exposure to the experiences and symptoms that women face when they pass child baring age. Little Secrets which was written and produced by the author of the UK’s Menopause Exchange Newsletter Victoria Goldman features a crime mystery with an additional twist. The main character in the book who is experiencing many menopausal symptoms attempts to solve a twenty-year-old murder mystery at the Panbrook Prison Hotel.
“I wanted Madeleine to be believable and seem very real,” says Victoria Goldman. “She’s in her early 50s, and around three-quarters of women will be experiencing some menopausal symptoms at this time of life.
Madeleine is a hard-working hotel manager and an organised perfectionist, attempting to juggle a hectic workload and the needs of her soon-to-be-married daughter, as many women do when they’re in their 40s and 50s. Added into the mix is the hotel’s 10th anniversary weekend, a true-crime controversy that’s divided the media for the past 20 years, and an array of hotel guests to please (and suspect of murder and mayhem). Little Secrets is ultimately a crime novel, so obviously nothing goes to plan…”
The book which is an intriguing, eye catching mystery set in a former prison which has been converted in to a luxury hotel features a prison nurse being accused of the murders of five detainees. Readers will have to decide for themselves whether the accused is innocent or guilty. To discover the truth, they will need to head back to the past. Little Secrets is ideal for fans of Sarah Pearse, Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware and Claire Douglas.
‘A rollercoaster ride you will not forget! Ingenious and intriguing from start to finish.’ – Janice Hallett, award-winning British author of several mystery novels including The Appeal.
Victoria Goldman has been editing The Menopause Exchange newsletter since its launch. She is an experienced health journalist and editor, including Freelance Health Editor for Bupa, and copyedits and proofreads fiction and non-fiction books for UK publishers and authors. She has a Biomedical Science BSc. and an MSc. in Science Communication, with specialist expertise in writing evidence-based health information for companies, charities, magazines and websites. She has written two other crime novels, The Redeemer and The Associate, which was the Editor’s Choice Winner of Best Indie Novel of 2023 in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards.
The Menopause Exchange, which was established in 1999, is unbiased and independent and isn’t sponsored by any companies or organisations. Our free quarterly newsletter contains articles written by top UK medical experts, including menopause consultants, GPs, specialist menopause nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, complementary practitioners, a menopause counsellor and a pelvic health physiotherapist. Norma Goldman, founder and director of The Menopause Exchange, has been giving presentations and webinars on the menopause for over 26 years, to groups of women, healthcare professionals, workplaces and, more recently in 2025, groups of men. To find out more about her presentations and webinars, or to join The Menopause Exchange for free, visit our website: http://www.menopause-exchange.co.uk. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter/X (@MenopauseExch).
Menopause Key Facts
Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier.
It affects anyone who has periods.
Menopause can happen naturally, or for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy) or the uterus (hysterectomy), cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or a genetic reason. Sometimes the reason is unknown.
Perimenopause is when you have symptoms of menopause but your periods have not stopped. Perimenopause ends and you reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.
Menopause and perimenopause can cause symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes and irregular periods. These symptoms can start years before your periods stop and carry on afterwards.
Menopause and perimenopause symptoms can have a big impact on your life, including relationships and work.
There are things you can do to help with symptoms. There are also medicines that can replace the missing hormones and help relieve your symptoms.
