I was drawn in from
the start of the book and my attention did not flag. (Review by Fiona de Goede)
When Jane Trevally goes for her usual walk with her dogs, in
her neck of the woods in the countryside, she comes across a little lost dog –
and being the dog lover she is, she takes him home with her, intending to trace
his owner. When she discovers he is from a neighbourhood in London, she is
intrigued that he was found so far from home. She decides to take him back to
his owner, a young teenage girl, in Hampstead.
And that is when the mystery starts.
Arriving at Thornwood House in Hampstead, she recognizes it from an incident that happened to her 25 years ago. Furthermore, she then finds out that the owner of the little dog has also gone missing. Her interest is now thoroughly piqued and she decides to put her sleuthing skills to the test and try and unravel the mystery.
The story unravels quite slowly but thankfully the author does not milk the drama by using cliched methods to build suspense. The underlying sense of the dark and macabre history of the house is dealt with convincingly and I never once experienced an eye-roll moment – I have found this can often be the case when reading psychological thrillers.
The time line of the story is quite complex and the reader is challenged to keep track of the events of 25 years ago and the current development taking place. The cast of characters is also rather substantial. The thread of family dysfunction is woven through the unravelling tale and when all is finally revealed, the full extent of the horrific domestic secrets is laid bare in all its gory details.
The Black family, who lives at Thornwood, are extremely dark and dysfunctional. Allen Black, the manipulative patriarch, Annie Black, his wife who was aware of everything that was going on in the house, their two damaged children, Jessamine and Jasper, each with their own demons to fight. The character that somewhat baffled me is Stuart Tucker – initially an innocent bystander but eventually an integral part to the mystery.
As with most thrillers, it is a fine balance of commenting on the plot whilst walking on a tightrope to not give away too much. I was drawn in from the start of the book and my attention did not flag. The author had me in her grip and I was keenly invested in reading to the end to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Apparently, Jane Trevally appeared in a previous book by the author, Don’t Let Him In. I have not read that particular book and can therefore confidently say that this follow-up serves as a stand-alone in its own right. - Fiona de Goede
Published by Penguin Random House: ISBN 978-1-529-19600-9
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