Unfortunately I found this book to be a little too slow paced. In addition the chapters were very long so I struggled to stay engaged. I think shorter snappier chapters would have kept the story more interesting for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. A fast paced psychological thriller full of secrets and plot twists. I did find myself getting annoyed by the characters especially Helen and I wanted her to wake up to George faster. Set in a creepy atmospheric village where everyone seems unfriendly and hostile and I certainly wouldn’t want to live there that’s for sure! An enjoyable read that I would recommend. 4 stars.

Suspenseful and scary. A fast-paced, page-turning read which cements McGowan as a reliable mistress of thrills!

Helen is an A&E Consultant married to lazy slob George and they leave London to live in a small Cornish village. The day they move in is the first time Helen has seen their new home. First irritation, who would do that especially with a husband like George! Why does it seem familiar, this house that no one has lived in for years. Strange, creepy things are discovered when builders start work. There are so many “no one would do that” moments. All the women were wishy washy types who gave in to the males far too much. I felt more could have been made of the spookiness, something a bit more original than someone lurking in the trees. There were lots of loose ends to do with the characters. Engaging enough to finish but not enough to reread.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I love Claire McGowan's books!!!

This was a entertaining read that I enjoyed alot. I would give it 4.5 out 5 stars. The ending wasn't something you saw coming.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

Thank you Amazon Publishing and NetGalley.
Well Claire has done it again an absolutely amazing read.
Left me on the edge of my seat with a pounding heart. In my top list for this year. .

Helen has been persuaded by her husband George to leave London and her job as she has been under a lot of stress working as a doctor during Covid. She has left everything with the move, including the house in Cornwall, to George to arrange so why does she feel uneasy on arrival that she has been here before. Helen becomes more worried when they start the renovation’s and discover sinister dolls hidden in the walls and that the previous owner was thought to be a witch and was imprisoned thirty years ago for a triple murder. The villagers are very unfriendly and Helen wants to discover more of the history of the house. Along the way she discovers that George has been lying to her and she knows that there are things that she hasn’t told him as well. The past is coming back to haunt them and they realise that they can’t trust each other and their lives may be in danger, I found this an enjoyable read if a little far fetched.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book.
In this book we are following George and Helen who are moving to the countryside after George bought them a house but of course they both have secrets they are keeping from each other. George inherited the house from his adopted mom Janna who was arrested for killing Helen's dad and two little girls. Janna wasn't the one who killed Helen's dad but a little girl named Lisa who was being groomed by Adam, Helen's dad. The two little girls ingested a love potion meant for adults. Helen tracked George down when in college and fell in love with him. George decides to write a book about if his mom Janna was actually innocent of her crimes. Lisa ends up dying after being stabbed while trying to kill Janna to make sure the investigation doesn't get reopened. George and Helen end up finding out that Helen is pregnant after years of trying. This book was a wild ride but it just wasn't one of my favorites.

As always Claire McGowan delivers a truly excellent book! I absolutely love this author and she is on my auto buy.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Helen and George buy a remote house in Cornwall that is need of a total overhaul. Something about the place feels wrong and Helen thinks she has seen this house before. They start the renovations but things start to happen they cannot be explained. Dolls are found in the walls, the pervious owner was rumoured to be a witch and was sent to prison for a triple murder thirty years ago. Events spiral out of control and Helen discovers that George has been lying to her, they realise they are in danger and cannot trust anyone as well as each other as helen has secrets she hasn’t revealed.

When Helen and George move into their new home, they are quick to start renovations. Discovering voodoo dolls within the house walls, Helen researches the house history to find that the old owner is serving a sentence for a triple murder and that she was rumoured to be a witch.

This was quite a gripping tale. I didn't expect the story to go the way that it did so I got a bit of a pleasant shock. I always love the unexpected and this book had many such unpredictable twists. I really enjoy this author's work and look forward to reading what she comes out with next.

Excellent as always…complicated story, each chapter from a different persons view, adding more details to the mystery with each person. A couple of interesting turns…really liked this one.

Helen and George flee London for a fixer-upper house in the Cornish countryside which George has bought and Helen, working all the hours as a doctor during the pandemic, hasn't even seen. (Some may find this implausible, but I could actually believe it.)

People in the village of Little Hollow aren't exactly welcoming, and the only local builders they can find to work on the house quickly become a nightmare. Not to mention the frankly sinister artefacts which keep being unearthed around the place... a house with an alarming local reputation. And why does it all seem so weirdly familiar to Helen?

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, if not particularly plausible. I liked the way it was structured, casting light on the actions and motivations of different characters. It was all quite confusing for a while, but ultimately came together satisfyingly, if you suspend your disbelief a bit at certain actions and the way everyone is hiding secrets.

A very satisfying read. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

The second half of this book was very good, although the ending felt a bit abrupt. The first half, however, dragged a bit. I'm weary of books where the plot revolves around two married people lying to each other for no good reason, and reading about how miserable they are because of the lies just grows tedious.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing houe and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This author is hit or miss for me and while I enjoyed the storyline to this book I was a little disappointed at the ending. This book was so good right from the start, I was hooked but as the book progressed, at around three quarters of the way through when the plot was revealed, I was a little disappointed at how it went. I have to say, I did not understand george, why did she put up with him, why did Helen let him make such a big decision on his own? I mean seriously, to move to an unknown location, I don't think I could do that. I liked the way the story was told from each perspective and the pace. This book is definitely worth a read, I just wanted there to be more.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

This is the third book from this author I’ve read and it was not at all like the previous two, in my opinion. I enjoyed the book and plot, but was not expecting the paranormal element. I’m not normally big on that but it worked out alright in this book. Not my favorite but will continue to read more from this author.

A book filled with characters that all have lots of flaws had me very optimistic. This one fell flat in many areas for me. We have an overworked doctor due to coming out of Covid who entrusts her husband to buy a whole new house and move them in without her even seeing the house. The house has many creepy aspects which I am all in favor of, however it all seems rather forced to me. Our friendly neighborhood doctor seems to control every aspect of their lives because her husband seems incapable and yet she entrusts him to move them away. It just doesn’t seem plausible. I struggled to be invested in the characters and this the low rating. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love books set in England, so I dove into this one. I loved the English countryside and the feelings they had about suddenly being in a small town. The house was creepy as hell, and I couldn’t wait to figure out the backstory on it. The twists were shocking, and I liked the ending! Will definitely be reading this author again.