Charlie King, the love interest, of all people, will be the killer
The trailer released on August 17, 2023, mentions that our neighbor (who is almost certainly the only love interest) could be hiding "the most dangerous secret of all". It's probably unlikely, but what if they were the killer? And all the time they were helping the main character find the killer, they were secretly plotting to throw them off the trail? The fact that the murder is confirmed to happen on the main character's doorstep almost as soon as they move to Vermillion Lane is probably not a coincidence. Also, the end of Chapter 2 mentions a rumor that they killed their wife. Is it just a rumor, or is it true?Thankfully jossed. Guess PB wouldn't dare to make the only love interest the Big Bad.
Sadie will try to seduce Charlie
In Chapter 4, Sadie showed interest in Charlie, and Chapter 6 reveals that she's a Gold Digger who has been with women in addition to men if Charlie is female (whereas she's only dated men if Charlie is male). It would not be surprising if Sadie tried to seduce Charlie to make Constance jealous (even if Charlie isn't in Sadie's book). Sadie isn't the killer
Most of the book has been spent trying to paint Sadie as the killer. However, the description for Chapter 19 mentions that she will catch Constance snooping...and the description asks "Is it friend or foe who has you cornered?" In a Choices book, that usually means that the character is on the main character's side, and with how much they've been pushing the "Sadie is the killer" narrative, it's likely that she'll turn out to be a Red Herring, much like Sebastyan Thorne from Crimes of Passion. With that in mind, Sadie will help Constance find the true killer, with them being revealed at the end of Chapter 19. Chapter 20 will then be about taking the killer down, and if there is a Chapter 21, it will be an epilogue of sorts.- Confirmed, Chapter 19 reveals that the killer isn't Sadie, it's Vince, her pool boy who's obsessed with her and did the deed for her. However, Sadie could still be the mastermind who ordered Vince to do the deed. Jossed on there being 21 chapters, however.
- Update: Chapter 20 confirms that Sadie really is a red herring who has no part in the murders.
Will there be a Book 2?
Now we know who the killer is, and that Chapter 20 is the finale (since swiping right after Chapter 20, whose description has been revealed won't work), one question remains: is Dirty Little Secrets a standalone, or will it have a sequel? If it's a standalone, the killer will likely be apprehended, Constance will be celebrated as a hero and get the respect they deserve from the residents of Vermilion Lane, and Charlie King will move on from their deceased wife and live happily ever after with Constance. If there's a sequel, however, it will likely pan out in one of the following ways:- Sadie will be revealed to have either put Vince up to the killings, or be Iris King's (Charlie's dead wife's) killer, and Book 2 will be about taking her down.
- As is a common plot twist for Choices stories, Iris will turn out to be Not Quite Dead, and Book 2 will deal with the fallout, as well as a potential love triangle between her, Constance, and Charlie.
- Unlikely, but still possible: the end of Book 1 reveals that Charlie really did kill their wife (but not any of the other victims in Book 1) and plans to do the same with Constance without their knowledge. Book 2 would then be about a second protagonist trying to stop Charlie from killing Constance.
- Jossed, on December 18, 2023, PB confirmed that Chapter 20 is the series finale, making the book a standalone.
