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The House on Otley Road: Brand new gripping crime thriller fiction for 2026
Not yet published
Expected 18 Jun 26Everyone heard the story. But no one knows the truth.
Two murders. Twenty years apart. One truth to be uncovered.
1999. Emily Pierce is at uni in Leeds having the time of her life. On New Year’s Eve her plans to have the best night ever are brutally cut short when she is killed in her student house. The police conclude her murder was a burglary gone wrong and never find the killer.
2019. When Olivia Kavanagh discovers that twenty years earlier a girl was murdered in her bedroom, she becomes obsessed. But her questions end with another dead body.
Journalist Kate Marsden is sent to cover the story. She reported on Emily’s murder twenty years earlier and finds the similarities staggering and eerie. She is determined to discover the link. But the deeper she digs, the closer she gets to a murderer. Because this isn’t just a story, it’s a well-hidden crime and there’s someone out there who will do anything to stop her from ever unearthing the truth…
Two murders. Twenty years apart. One truth to be uncovered.
1999. Emily Pierce is at uni in Leeds having the time of her life. On New Year’s Eve her plans to have the best night ever are brutally cut short when she is killed in her student house. The police conclude her murder was a burglary gone wrong and never find the killer.
2019. When Olivia Kavanagh discovers that twenty years earlier a girl was murdered in her bedroom, she becomes obsessed. But her questions end with another dead body.
Journalist Kate Marsden is sent to cover the story. She reported on Emily’s murder twenty years earlier and finds the similarities staggering and eerie. She is determined to discover the link. But the deeper she digs, the closer she gets to a murderer. Because this isn’t just a story, it’s a well-hidden crime and there’s someone out there who will do anything to stop her from ever unearthing the truth…
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The House on Otley Road is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that blends cold‑case intrigue with the unsettling feeling that the past is never quite as buried as we’d like to believe. Rosa Silverman delivers a story that moves seamlessly between 1999 and 2019, weaving together two murders, two young women, and one truth that refuses to stay hidden.
The 1999 storyline is instantly compelling. Emily Pierce is full of life, celebrating New Year’s Eve with all the optimism of a student who believes the world is just beginning to open up for her. When she’s brutally killed in her own house, the shock reverberates through the narrative. The police write it off as a burglary gone wrong, but the unanswered questions linger like a shadow.
Fast‑forward twenty years, and Olivia Kavanagh discovers that her bedroom once belonged to Emily. What starts as curiosity quickly spirals into obsession—and then into danger. Her storyline adds a modern, relatable lens to the mystery, showing how easily the past can entangle the present.
Enter journalist Kate Marsden, who covered Emily’s murder two decades earlier and is now back on the case. Kate is the glue that holds the timelines together, and her determination to uncover the truth gives the novel its driving force. As she digs deeper, the parallels between the two deaths become impossible to ignore, and the tension ratchets up beautifully.
Silverman excels at atmosphere: student houses with creaking floorboards, the eerie familiarity of a street that hasn’t changed in twenty years, and the creeping sense that someone is watching. The pacing is tight, the twists well‑timed, and the final stretch genuinely gripping.
The House on Otley Road is a chilling, cleverly constructed thriller about buried secrets, dangerous obsessions, and the stories we think we know. Perfect for readers who love cold‑case mysteries with emotional depth and a strong investigative thread. A tense, addictive read that kept me turning pages late into the night.
My thanks to Rosa Silverman, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
The 1999 storyline is instantly compelling. Emily Pierce is full of life, celebrating New Year’s Eve with all the optimism of a student who believes the world is just beginning to open up for her. When she’s brutally killed in her own house, the shock reverberates through the narrative. The police write it off as a burglary gone wrong, but the unanswered questions linger like a shadow.
Fast‑forward twenty years, and Olivia Kavanagh discovers that her bedroom once belonged to Emily. What starts as curiosity quickly spirals into obsession—and then into danger. Her storyline adds a modern, relatable lens to the mystery, showing how easily the past can entangle the present.
Enter journalist Kate Marsden, who covered Emily’s murder two decades earlier and is now back on the case. Kate is the glue that holds the timelines together, and her determination to uncover the truth gives the novel its driving force. As she digs deeper, the parallels between the two deaths become impossible to ignore, and the tension ratchets up beautifully.
Silverman excels at atmosphere: student houses with creaking floorboards, the eerie familiarity of a street that hasn’t changed in twenty years, and the creeping sense that someone is watching. The pacing is tight, the twists well‑timed, and the final stretch genuinely gripping.
The House on Otley Road is a chilling, cleverly constructed thriller about buried secrets, dangerous obsessions, and the stories we think we know. Perfect for readers who love cold‑case mysteries with emotional depth and a strong investigative thread. A tense, addictive read that kept me turning pages late into the night.
My thanks to Rosa Silverman, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4* Great until almost the end. Pay attention to the cleverly done prologue.
This tale ends in a bit of an anticlimactic, slightly lazy, literal scramble, as the killer in 2019 flees but ends up awaiting trial. I felt sorry for the female journalist at the end, who ended up becoming part of the story that'd stayed with her for 20 years. The 2 female students, Olivia in 2019, and Wotsername from 1999 weren't the most empathetic, the latter with her lies, thefts, deceit, user tendencies, and married lecturer lover, and Olivia always wondering how she might be perceived, how she looked, her insecurities, her envy of more outgoing females, and her resentment of her middle-class background. I couldn't connect with any of the females, but that didn't spoil the tale.
The ending revealed a conscience-free killer living in anyone's, well, 2019 regular life. Not a sensationalist one, not a really noticeable one, not one that stood out, but a devious one with no qualms. I kind of didn't believe that with all 2019's tech, with so many journalists on the case, that their identity didn't get dug into and they didn't get pulled into the investigation. It felt a bit KISS, but it technically worked.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HQ for my reading pleasure.
This tale ends in a bit of an anticlimactic, slightly lazy, literal scramble, as the killer in 2019 flees but ends up awaiting trial. I felt sorry for the female journalist at the end, who ended up becoming part of the story that'd stayed with her for 20 years. The 2 female students, Olivia in 2019, and Wotsername from 1999 weren't the most empathetic, the latter with her lies, thefts, deceit, user tendencies, and married lecturer lover, and Olivia always wondering how she might be perceived, how she looked, her insecurities, her envy of more outgoing females, and her resentment of her middle-class background. I couldn't connect with any of the females, but that didn't spoil the tale.
The ending revealed a conscience-free killer living in anyone's, well, 2019 regular life. Not a sensationalist one, not a really noticeable one, not one that stood out, but a devious one with no qualms. I kind of didn't believe that with all 2019's tech, with so many journalists on the case, that their identity didn't get dug into and they didn't get pulled into the investigation. It felt a bit KISS, but it technically worked.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HQ for my reading pleasure.
January 14, 2026
I received an digital advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
This novel is marketed as a crime story, but the murder never truly takes centre stage. For most of the book, it remains in the background while the narrative focuses on the personal dramas and relationships of its characters.
There are a few brief moments where tension and danger finally appear, but they are fleeting and quickly defused. These isolated spikes are not enough to generate sustained suspense or a sense of real consequence.
The characters are introduced with detail, yet they remain largely unchanged by the end of the story. Despite the presence of a serious crime, there is little meaningful development or transformation, which leaves the narrative feeling static and emotionally distant.
The writing is competent and controlled, but the tone remains cold and observational. Opportunities for deeper psychological exploration are often passed over, and the novel never fully commits to either its crime elements or its character study.
Overall, this felt less like a crime novel and more like a collection of loosely connected life stories with a crime element attached. Readers looking for sustained tension or character growth may find it underwhelming.
This novel is marketed as a crime story, but the murder never truly takes centre stage. For most of the book, it remains in the background while the narrative focuses on the personal dramas and relationships of its characters.
There are a few brief moments where tension and danger finally appear, but they are fleeting and quickly defused. These isolated spikes are not enough to generate sustained suspense or a sense of real consequence.
The characters are introduced with detail, yet they remain largely unchanged by the end of the story. Despite the presence of a serious crime, there is little meaningful development or transformation, which leaves the narrative feeling static and emotionally distant.
The writing is competent and controlled, but the tone remains cold and observational. Opportunities for deeper psychological exploration are often passed over, and the novel never fully commits to either its crime elements or its character study.
Overall, this felt less like a crime novel and more like a collection of loosely connected life stories with a crime element attached. Readers looking for sustained tension or character growth may find it underwhelming.
January 6, 2026
Review of ‘The House on Otley Road’ by Rosa Silverman, due to be published on 18 June 2026 by HQ, Harper Collins.
One house used as student accommodation. One girl found dead in the front bedroom 1999. One girl dead in the same bedroom in 2019. Coincidence or related? That’s what journalist Kate is determined to uncover.
Kate has been haunted by the first death, ruled a bungled robbery, her first big story as a reporter, no one ever found responsible. Now a new girl has been killed, and the few people who are prepared to speak to Kate, give her tiny morsels of information that give her threads to pull, in an attempt to uncover the mysteries of both deaths.
Told over split timelines for 1999 and 2019, from the point of view of the killed girls, the housemates at both times and Kate.
This was an exceptionally well written and well executed story, with good character development. It is a story littered with clues, red herrings and twists, leading to the final reveal that leaves you realising that the evidence was there in plain sight all along. A highly recommended read.
One house used as student accommodation. One girl found dead in the front bedroom 1999. One girl dead in the same bedroom in 2019. Coincidence or related? That’s what journalist Kate is determined to uncover.
Kate has been haunted by the first death, ruled a bungled robbery, her first big story as a reporter, no one ever found responsible. Now a new girl has been killed, and the few people who are prepared to speak to Kate, give her tiny morsels of information that give her threads to pull, in an attempt to uncover the mysteries of both deaths.
Told over split timelines for 1999 and 2019, from the point of view of the killed girls, the housemates at both times and Kate.
This was an exceptionally well written and well executed story, with good character development. It is a story littered with clues, red herrings and twists, leading to the final reveal that leaves you realising that the evidence was there in plain sight all along. A highly recommended read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews