The Manor House follows recent lottery winners Tom and Nicole as they purchase and move into their new home, effectively changing their lives overnight. This dream however is quickly interrupted when Tom is found dead in his swimming pool by his wife. We follow multiple POVs as the investigation into Tom's death unfolds. Tied into the mess are neighbors Oliver and Sasha, along with their housemaid Kitty. Are any of these people who they say they are? Detectives Jen and Hal work the case to put the all the puzzle pieces together.

Overall, Macmillan's novel was readable but quite complicated with the 9 perspectives we're presented with. This can get confusing at times. Also, the amount of "perfect" murders that were committed was absurd. The ending tied things up too neatly to feel authentic. Recommend if you can suspend belief and enjoy the outlandish tale for what it is.

This book didn't work for me. I felt it was slow and nothing exciting happened. The characters were dull. I was hoping the pace would pick up but it didn't.

I went back and forth with this book, and ultimately I ended up enjoying it, I just didn't love it. The characters were a bit over the top, and I don't know that the gullible character was believable.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

this was an okay one- a little slow moving for me, which i don't love in my mystery/thrillers. i had a hard time finding interest in the story itself.

Plenty going on. Was it a natural drowning, or something more synester? Who are the neighbors, they don't seem to know each other very well. Characters seem to switch rolls and no one is whom they pretend to be.. Book staarted well, but lost a little momentum towards the end. Plenty of twists and turns.

The Manor House was not as creepy as the cover made it look. The story unfolded a little too slowly for my taste in mystery/thriller and the characters were not intriguing enough to keep me interested.

Another book I couldn’t get into. I tried the audiobook version as well. I was bored and uninterested the majority of the time

The Manor House was a suspenseful mystery that explores the darker side of wealth and privilege, with a focus on themes of greed, power, and the blurred lines between reality and illusion. I was instantly pulled into this murder mystery from the beginning when Nicole comes home to find Tom floating face down in the pool. It was fast paced and kept you guessing throughout.

Thanks to Net Galley, Gilly Macmillan and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/_bookonthebrightside_/

I really loved The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan, so I was super excited to read The Manor House. I was not disappointed. Macmillan is the master at multiple POV's and twists you don't see coming. I was instantly pulled into this murder mystery and had to know who did it. Highly recommend for all the mystery/thriller enthusiasts out there. Revenge is so sweet.

I really enjoyed this mystery! I loved the setting and the various POVs the story alternated through. It was fascinating from the start.

Reading Between the Wines book review #145/115(met goal in Sept!) for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Manor House
Author: Gilly Macmillan
Available Now!!

Sipping thoughts: If Gaslighting was a book it would be The Manor House. This book had 2 of the most unlikable characters I have read in a while. I enjoyed it enough but could not wait for karma and justice to be enacted! I really liked the ending.

Cheers and thank you to @WilliamMorrow and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheManorHouse.

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3.5 ⭐️’s
Be careful what you wish for… when Tom and Nicole win the lottery, they build a state of the art glass barn on the property of an old Manor. After an outing to a county fair, Nicole comes home to find Tom floating face down in the pool. Nicole is sure it was an accident, the police are not so sure. Olly, a novelist and Sasha, a yoga instructor are living in the manor. They have a housekeeper, Kitty, who lives in the coach house. While they seem like a nice couple, all is not kosher at the manor and secrets abound. Even the walls have ears! When an old friend, one that Nicole isn’t too keen on at the moment, shows up to offer his condolences and to help Nicole out, the plot thickens. Did someone have a reason to kill Tom? Is Nicole safe from harm? What secrets is the manor hiding? Filled with some good twists and turns, this was a fun read! Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This will give you lots of suspense, strong characters and many twists, turns and surprises. In part that is because most characters are very human - or should I say flawed?

Such a great read! The story is well-written and the many twists and turns will keep readers guessing until the very end.

I like the setting and all the different perspectives in this one. The glass house is so perfect! It is so ..
I don't know. I guess ostentatious. They were trying to hide their wealth and also not have a housekeeper but live in this particular house. I love it.
So Tom dies and that spurs the story. Right away you find that people are lying and keeping secrets.
It was interesting.

Struggled to engage with this book. The pacing felt slow, and I found it less captivating than anticipated. Regrettably, it's not one I would recommend.

I read this twisty mystery in one sitting on a flight! I had to know what happened.

The Manor House has it all: a creepy old house, a new, glass, too-smart house, and characters that are not what they appear. Lots of twists and turns as the characters’ stories and connections are revealed.

THE MANOR HOUSE is just the type of multilayered duplicitous thriller that keeps a reader up at night for just one chapter more. Macmillan continues to dazzle with her eloquence and ability to create an engrossing story.

From the opening scenes, I was hooked. And then to have all the various perspectives as the truth becomes revealed showcased the complexity of the characters as well as the intricacy of the plot. The author gives us characters to love and ones to hate, but all are not perfect or as they seem. Nicole, Tom, Sasha, Olly, Kitty, and Anna are the perfectly flawed characters I expect from Macmillan.

The deception, twists, turns, and red herrings carefully placed made me want to keep reading until the end. The fast pace and effortless flow of all the voices within this book keep the questions popping up. And the reveals! I mean…no spoilers…but…I loved it!

THE MANOR HOUSE is simply a juicy thriller perfect for those who love reading about people with ulterior motives. Add to that the overall atmosphere of the setting with the ultra-posh houses, and you have one addictive read.

The book started out strong but then lost all the steam. The writing is not something I was used to so it was hard for me to read. It was hard for me to figure out which genre this would fall into. Supposed to be a thriller but it was anything but.

Nicole and Tom have won the lottery in it seems within reason all their dreams are coming true. The biggest extravagance they bought is a glass farmhouse in her dad‘s favorite spot in Wales and although Nicole is a planner and always plans for “the just in case.” The one thing she didn’t plan on was becoming a widow at 32 but when she came home and found her husband floating facedown in their newly appointed pool that’s exactly what happened. It isn’t long before Tom’s estranged friend Patrick shows up to give his condolences. Patrick and Tom had a falling out over money because Patrick wanted some and Tom didn’t want that between them until they hadn’t talked in a very long time but Nicole couldn’t be happier to talk to someone else who also knew and loved her beloved husband. The young couple who live in the manor house also start wanting to keep Nicole company but not everyone is befriending Nicole out of common decency or empathy it seems the emotion they’re feeling is greed. They live with a woman they call kitty but soon that’s what they’ll be calling Nicole. This book was so good and so underhanded and devious I love a book that is smartly done that you can read and feel as if the plot is plausible and that is definitely this book. I want to think William Morrow, Harper Collins and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.