I have to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as her last one. It seemed to go on for too long and for such a long time, I felt like nothing was happening.
I enjoyed Ali as a character but I felt like so many parts of the book weren't connected and the ending seemed contrived. Sorry

I really liked this book, though I spent the first half of it assuming I was dealing with an unreliable narrator, and the last half disappointed with how it turned out.

Sylvie and Julia are wonderful - all the characters were very well done except for Marco, who was a bit cardboard. I'll read more of her books, definitely, but the contrived plot in this one just...lost me a bit, I suppose.

What a fascinating and enthralling book of how the past never escapes you, despite your best intentions!

Life was good for Ali a year ago, settled family life, successful businesses. And then things started falling apart so she's back at the bottom again trying to work her way up and with the help of her husband and an inventive CV, she lands a job at Howell, Hall, a local psychiatric facility.

When she steps inside she finds it isn't only the patients with things to hide and she grows fond of a couple of patients almost immediately and finds herself drawn into their worlds of secrets, madness and more staff even more unqualified than her! Just what kind of hospital is this and why are those in charge so keen for Ali not to meddle in the patients' treatment?

Meanwhile at home, her 15 year old son Angelo is drawn into a nightmare of his own when his phone is used to report a dead body found in the Abbey next to their house - how much does he know of the body? And why is her husband so keen to keep her away from the investigation?

This really kept my interest throughout thanks to a very clever writing style that didn't reveal too much too soon! I found the characters involved were all intriguing as you never knew who to believe. There is always more to the story than meets the eye!

Her own past with mental illness was well portrayed through this book and did add more depth to the story as you began to wonder if she was just imagining things. The way she connected with the patients at the hospital said an awful lot about her as a person and added a much softer side to the story which was nice against the harshness of the solitary life they were leading, and the mystery of the body back in the real world.

Very enjoyable and highly recommended!

With a well-defined plot, this riveting drama had me enthralled in all the minute details in a book that I could not put down. The angst, the intrigue, and the suspense all came together in the visually descriptive narrative that placed me in the center of all the action. The tightly deep twists that you know is coming but don’t see until it hits you is what I like about this book, where every factor, every character, every movement was pivotal in how well this story was told. The palpitation of my heart couldn’t control the gripping desire I had to see how this would end and boy did it ever. The author has a way with bringing complex characters, engaging dialogue and trepidation in a psychological state of being where nothing is as it seems, but when it is all said and done, you have an intensifying thriller that leaves you wanting more. And the title of the book, well-played, well-played indeed.

It's not unusual, in a suspense novel, for the narrator to be unreliable. In this genuinely frightening and hyper-realistic book, set in a tiny, claustrophobic apartment and a psychiatric facility where it is sometimes hard to tell the staff from the patients, everyone's story is -- off --

Ali McGovern's hire as a beauty and art therapist is like a bag of gold dropped in her lap after years of coping with a trauma that put her in a psychiatric institution herself, and after both she and her husband have lost their businesses. She knows she is not qualified, and she knows that there were lacunae in her hiring and accreditation for the job. From the first day, she also knows that secrets are compromising both patient care and the ability of the staff to function.

Perhaps she would have been able to settle in better, but an extremely decomposed body is found in the wrecked building across the street from her apartment, and her withdrawn, moody, teenaged son is involved. Or may be involved. Or not.

McPherson's writing brings you into the story, seen through Ali's self-doubt and increasingly frightened eyes, with such granularity that you are, truly, there. Ali's compassion and bewilderment are tempered with determination and wit. (Watch for the Mrs. Danvers reference.) Stick with her. It's worth it.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Thank you to the publishers Midnight Ink and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a perfectly creepy book that allowed me to while away a couple of wet and dreary days in June. Ali was a likeable heroine (if a little under formed) who has been dealt some really hard knocks in life, but still wants to help others in pain. Unsure if she has stumbled upon a genuine mystery to solve, or if her unresolved grief is haunting her, we enter a world where nothing is at it seems, and no one is who they say they are.

Whilst a little confusing at times, with some pretty big leaps, I did enjoy this book, and the creepy atmosphere, and I will definitely look out for other books from this author.

**3.5 Stars**

Usually I am wary of reading suspense/thriller books that use psychiatric facilities as a backdrop for tales of horror and murder. I was therefore nervous when I first started Catriona McPherson's House.Tree.Person., which revolves around a live-in care home (Howell Hall) for young people with mental illnesses.

However, the author did not rely upon stereotypical tropes, and instead breathed life and humanity into the psychiatric facility around which her story is centered. The story begins with the character of Ali McGovern, mother to a teenage son, Angelo, and wife to her husband, Marco. Ali's family are recovering from a difficult couple of years; both Ali and her husband had to close their businesses due to Marco's irresponsible business practices, forcing them out of their nice house and into an apartment that leaves a lot to desire. Ali also suffered from a mental breakdown 10 years ago, which haunts her and leaves her fighting to repair her relationship with Marco and Angelo.

To keep financially afloat, Ali applies for a job as an art/recreational therapist at a psychiatric facility known as Howell Hall. She lies about her experience with the help of her husband, who wrote her resume and cover letter. Her interview at Howell Hall lands her job despite her lack of qualifications and training, which makes her concerned about the quality of the facility and treatment of its patients.

As soon as she accepts the job offer, one that comes with an unexpectedly hefty salary, Ali begins to question why they hired her, and why the patients are at Howell Hall in the first place. The staff also seems to be unqualified for their jobs, which is a red flag to Ali. The way patients are treated is also concerning, and makes Ali want to quit. The only thing anchoring her to the job is her tight financial situation.

The secondary plot of the book involves a murder mystery. Ali's son is implicated in the murder because he was the one to find the body of an unidentifiable man. In a turn of events, Ali discovers that her son and Howell Hall are linked in the murder. In order to save herself, her son, and the patients at Howell Hall, Ali must solve the murder mystery.

I got lost in some of the plot because there was a lot going on. I really needed the author to spell a few things out for me, especially at the end. The author does a really good job developing her characters, which made the sometimes murky plot manageable.

Thank you to the author, Catriona McPherson, NetGalley, and Midnight Ink for the advanced reader copy of House.Tree.Person.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.

What is going on at Howell Hall. Ali does not want to rock the boat, because she is working there under false pretenses, but something is wrong. Things escalate when a body is discovered at the Abby and Ali's son seems to be involved.

I liked this book, but got lost a little in the characters.

Just no. Not good. Hard to understand. No thanks. Try again

You know what you're getting with Catriona McPherson's novels: a likeable heroine, a not-too-dark mystery, some kind of family drama. Her writing is always enjoyable, and I enjoyed it. Maybe I won't remember it in a year (I read it a month ago and to be honest the details have already slipped away), but it passed some spare hours nicely, and sometimes that's just what you want from a book.

House. Tree. Person. is an excellent, creepy thriller! Ali McGovern is recovering from the loss of what she thought was her perfect life. Her business, her husband's business, and their house have all been lost. Her new job at Howell House, a private psychiatric hospital, should be the light at the end of the tunnel. When a body is found in a shallow grave near her house, Ali is forced to confront her past, her fears, and the answers to some very big questions about what is happening at Howell House.
House. Tree. Person. gripped me from the opening line. The characters were complex. The plot was twisty and engaging. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next!

Wow. This book was amazing!

Ali McGovern and her family are starting from scratch. They just lost their businesses, their nice house, their good car. Ali is elated when she gets a job at a psychiatric facility, but almost immediately things seem off. Her resume is full of embellishments and lies, but the husband and wife duo who run the facility don't seem to notice. The rest of the staff are damaged - ex-cons, fired from previous jobs. And the patients are equally puzzling, especially Sylvie, a woman suffering from catatonia.

And then there's the body, discovered across the street from Ali's rundown flat. The police say that Ali's teenage son reported the body, but Angel claims his phone was stolen.

To add to the mystery, Ali herself is walking wounded. She had a mental health issue ten years before, and both her husband and son treat her like she's china, on the verge of breaking. Sometimes she doesn't know if what she's hearing or seeing is real.

I was completely intrigued with this book. Once I got past the first chapter (mostly that was me, getting used to the British slang), I zoomed through, so captivated about what was happening. And oh my! The reveal was intricate and satisfying.

This is the first book I read by Catriona McPherson, and it won't be my last.

I've enjoyed each of Catriona McPherson books, and this was no exception. House. Tree. Person. is the story of Ali McPherson, whose dreams have recently crashed. Both she and her husband have lost their businesses and have had to sell their dream home and move into a tiny cottage. Their teenage son Marco is also having difficulty adjusting to the move from friends and to the reduced circumstances.

Then Ali gets a job at Howell Hall, a nearby private psychiatric facility. (play on How Well or Howl?) Ali gets the job with a false resume and is pretty certain that the psychiatrist who hires her knows it, and her salary is more than it should be. Ali is a little suspicious, but in desperate need of income.

As she gets to know the others who work at Howell Hall, she realizes that they are all misfits in some way. Ali isn't the only one whose qualifications might be in question, and she has her own secrets to hide.

A body is discovered, and although the corpse is at least a decade old, Ali's son is questioned by the police. Dealing with problems at home, Ali also has reservations about the treatments of some of the patients at Howell Hall. Ali begins to question everything, including her own stability.

Ali is sometimes annoying, but with the patients at the facility, she shows great warmth and empathy. Her concerns about her own life and mental health make her behavior erratic at times.

Tension and uncertainty abound in this latest by McPherson, who is quickly building a reputation for psychological suspense.

I thought the title quite unusual, but it is explained in the novel. House Tree Person is a technique used by some mental health professionals.

Read in April. Blog post scheduled for Aug. 30

NetGalley/Midnight Ink.

Psychological Suspense. Sept. 8, 2017. Print length: 360 pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Midnight Ink for an advanced read of, "House. Tree. Person." in exchange for an honest review.

Ali McGovern had a mental breakdown 10 years ago but she is getting her life back together now. She and her husband lost their businesses and are trying to get back to living. Her husband spots a job advertisement for Ali and writes up a resume for her that is highly exaggerated with skills and licenses she does not have. The job is at a psychiatric facility working as a beauty aid giving massages and pedicures among other things. At first she isn't keen on going for the interview but does and gets the job without having the proper background checks which she knows isn't right. Nothing is as it seems at the facility. There are an assortment of other aids, nurses, assistants that are sort of a misfit of characters, not exactly legit, at the facility. The patients aren't much better than the employee's but hey they are in a psychiatric facility so what would one expect. Ali knows something is very wrong and that is the journey of this novel. What is going on at this place, who are these people and why are they there, what happened to her 10 years ago, why is she hearing voices, what is going on with her 16 year old son, and who's body is it that is found across from where they just moved into their apartment, and what is going on with her husband and his new job?

An unreliable narrator. As I read this book I kept thinking can I believe what the Ali is telling me, since she had a mental breakdown 10 years prior and now hears voices that aren't there. Just how reliable is this persons account of anything? Sometimes the use of this unreliable narrator made the story more intriguing but at other times it just made it annoying and confusing.

I had never heard of the use of having someone draw a house, a tree and a person and then having it interpreted by a psychiatrist. I thought that was particularly interesting. Think about it. How would you draw a house, a tree and a person on the same paper and what would one gather from how you had drawn those. What might be interpreted about you from your drawing?

I found the two primary patients at the facility very interesting and wanted to know their stories as well as a couple of the employees and the owners of the place. The ending of the book made me feel more compassionate towards Ali and her situation. I liked the way the writer pulled everything together at the end of the book.

Ali McGovern lands a job at Howell House, a home for mentally disturbed men and women. Her job entails beauty routines, massages, etc. to lift the women's spirits and speed their recovery. Her highly exaggerated CV was written by her husband, attributing much more than her previous experience as the owner of a beauty salon, Surprisingly she was hired on the spot with a hefty salary. Her first few days on the job prove all is not as it seems and when a long dead
body is discovered near her home it's the start of her worst nightmare. Her son is questioned by the police, setting off a series of events that threatens to bring her back to the breakdown she had a decade ago. Fearing for her son and her sanity, she delves into a past that is evil beyond comprehension, but finally answers her suspicions, changing her life forever.
There were times I lost patience with her, but as the book progressed, there were very sweet scenes between her and two patients that changed my opinion of her, and the nursing staff was likeable. On the whole this was a satisfying read, though not as good as Ms. McPherson's previous stand alones.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Catriona McPherson writes like no one else. She has a voice that has become completely her own and recognizable among readers. And, she never disappoints. "House. Tree. Person." like her earlier novels, kept me glued to the page and in a rush to see what on earth could happen next. And it was often a surprise. Highly Highly Recommended.

Couldn't read past beyond about 30% of the book. So confusing. Marco the husband and the wife never really talk to each other. There is reference to the time "when she was ill" without any explanation. So many conversations just going back and forth with no one saying anything.

Ali McGovern must to her best to forget her past, when she was a happy, working mom raising her son and living in her dream house. Now, she’s thrilled just to have the opportunity to be working at psychiatric hospital Howell House. At this point in her life, the job is a godsend, but Ali has to wonder why they have hired her. She doesn’t have long to ponder that question, as a body is found in a shallow grave and then her nightmare begins. Is there anything creepier than a psychiatric hospital? I think not, and McPherson uses the setting to disarm and terrify her readers