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The Detective's Daughter #4
The House With No Rooms
The summer of 1976 was the hottest in living memory. Britain sweltered, trees and plants wilted, fire ripped through forests and rivers ran dry. In London’s Kew Gardens a 10 year old girl was parted from her friends and, dizzied by scorching heat, wandered lost into its secluded undergrowth. Forty years later, the detective’s daughter Stella Darnell takes on a chilling new case. Along with Jack, a train driver, she will be drawn to the secret spaces of Kew, and to an unsolved murder that has lain dormant for decades.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2016
97 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Thomson
30 books174 followersLesley Thomson was born in 1958 and grew up in London. She went to Holland Park Comprehensive and the Universities of Brighton and Sussex. Her novel A Kind of Vanishing won The People's Book Prize in 2010. Lesley combines writing with teaching creative writing. She lives in Lewes with her partner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 13, 2017
It is strange for me to read the fourth book in a series without reading the first three, but I was pointed towards it due of its connection with the Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens. This is because I was the person responsible for managing the art conservation work during the recent HLF funded restoration project of the Gallery... I am one of the 'Kew Experts' referred to in chapter 19!
The book is a well constructed murder mystery, though at times the verbosity was quite high for the information imparted. I realise that it is necessary to bury the clues so that the reader only sees their importance in retrospect, but even so, I did feel that some of the material was superfluous.
It is apparent that the author has been around the Herbarium at Kew and has visited the Marianne North Gallery. However, on several occasions I was brought up hard due to some anachronisms which could have been easily checked, had the author made enquiries.
For example in chapter 16, which is set in 1976:
"In the porch, Mr Watson showed Chrissie the lady she had thought was real when she came before. He said it was a marble bust of Marianne"
I didn't put the bust of Marianne into the porch until 2010. For the 100 years before this, the bust was situated at the back of the inner gallery. Likewise, the author goes into great detail about the encaustic floor tiling, describing the shape of each tile. Unfortunately, the tiled floor just wasn't there in the 1970s. The original tiling was ripped out in the 1920s and replaced with lino. By the 1970s the floor was covered by a bland cream coloured tessera. The tiling in the gallery today is an award-winning reconstruction also dating to 2010.
Now I am probably being a little geekish about pointing out these couple of errors and that they are fairly specialist points which wouldn't interfere with the average reader's appreciation of the novel. However these were not the only points that I noticed and some of the anachronisms were absolute howlers.
Nevertheless I enjoyed the novel immensely and will certainly be reading the others in this series.
The book is a well constructed murder mystery, though at times the verbosity was quite high for the information imparted. I realise that it is necessary to bury the clues so that the reader only sees their importance in retrospect, but even so, I did feel that some of the material was superfluous.
It is apparent that the author has been around the Herbarium at Kew and has visited the Marianne North Gallery. However, on several occasions I was brought up hard due to some anachronisms which could have been easily checked, had the author made enquiries.
For example in chapter 16, which is set in 1976:
"In the porch, Mr Watson showed Chrissie the lady she had thought was real when she came before. He said it was a marble bust of Marianne"
I didn't put the bust of Marianne into the porch until 2010. For the 100 years before this, the bust was situated at the back of the inner gallery. Likewise, the author goes into great detail about the encaustic floor tiling, describing the shape of each tile. Unfortunately, the tiled floor just wasn't there in the 1970s. The original tiling was ripped out in the 1920s and replaced with lino. By the 1970s the floor was covered by a bland cream coloured tessera. The tiling in the gallery today is an award-winning reconstruction also dating to 2010.
Now I am probably being a little geekish about pointing out these couple of errors and that they are fairly specialist points which wouldn't interfere with the average reader's appreciation of the novel. However these were not the only points that I noticed and some of the anachronisms were absolute howlers.
Nevertheless I enjoyed the novel immensely and will certainly be reading the others in this series.
March 17, 2024
Like the previous three novels in this engaging series, The House With No Rooms is a rather complex tale which involves crimes committed decades in the past that connect with far more recent crimes.
There are flashback chapters to the uncommonly hot and dry (for then!) summer of 1976 revolving around a group of three schoolgirls, Chrissie, Bella and Emily. After an argument with Bella, Chrissie stumbles inside what looks like a deserted museum and discovers a body of a dead woman. Chrissie hides in a cupboard whilst a man, whom she recognises, removes the body to bury it.
Forty years later, Stella Darnell discovers another body in what might be the same building and she and her best cleaner and tube train driver Jack Harmon begin to investigate what the connection might be. They find themselves drawn back into a web of connected crimes dating back to a robbery and murder in 1956, all somehow connected to one of Stella’s best friends.
Once again, Lesley Thomson has managed to create a highly unusual but very credible crime thriller where the pace never slackens.
There are flashback chapters to the uncommonly hot and dry (for then!) summer of 1976 revolving around a group of three schoolgirls, Chrissie, Bella and Emily. After an argument with Bella, Chrissie stumbles inside what looks like a deserted museum and discovers a body of a dead woman. Chrissie hides in a cupboard whilst a man, whom she recognises, removes the body to bury it.
Forty years later, Stella Darnell discovers another body in what might be the same building and she and her best cleaner and tube train driver Jack Harmon begin to investigate what the connection might be. They find themselves drawn back into a web of connected crimes dating back to a robbery and murder in 1956, all somehow connected to one of Stella’s best friends.
Once again, Lesley Thomson has managed to create a highly unusual but very credible crime thriller where the pace never slackens.
July 1, 2020
This is the second book I have read in The Detective's Daughter series. I shall not be reading another. I found the first had too many extensive descriptions and unimportant minutiae. "The House With No Rooms" was even more long-winded and repetitive, which spoilt the listening experience for me. I persisted and got to the end, but I don't seem to be able to get my head round Ms Thomson's style of writing: tedious and garbled seem to sum it up.
March 24, 2017
Another great story in this series. Jack & Stella drift apart, but a compelling series of mysteries starts to draw them back together.
December 30, 2016
Telling not showing
I found this book odd and couldn't figure out why until I realized that the narrative voice is that of someone possibly on the spectrum - logical, socially awkward, not particularly intuitive. There's nothing wrong with that but it means that it's mostly telling, not showing. At first, I thought perhaps the book was for teenagers with its simple language and concepts. Then I decided it was supposed to reflect how the protagonists viewed the world. Either way, it didn't make for a very fluid read. I kept going because it takes place in a part of London I know well, but I will probably never read another.
I found this book odd and couldn't figure out why until I realized that the narrative voice is that of someone possibly on the spectrum - logical, socially awkward, not particularly intuitive. There's nothing wrong with that but it means that it's mostly telling, not showing. At first, I thought perhaps the book was for teenagers with its simple language and concepts. Then I decided it was supposed to reflect how the protagonists viewed the world. Either way, it didn't make for a very fluid read. I kept going because it takes place in a part of London I know well, but I will probably never read another.
November 22, 2021
This is my first venture into the Detective's Daughter series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set very much in my part of London - I can walk to every one of the locations in the book, and was able to have a quick look at the Marianne North Gallery while I was still in the early chapters.
I needed to concentrate a bit to keep on top of the chronology, as chapters hop backwards and forwards. It is very cleverly constructed, and I am impressed that I didn't feel that I was missing out by not having read the three earlier books in the series.
Higly recommended.
I needed to concentrate a bit to keep on top of the chronology, as chapters hop backwards and forwards. It is very cleverly constructed, and I am impressed that I didn't feel that I was missing out by not having read the three earlier books in the series.
Higly recommended.
January 6, 2018
This is the 3 book I have read by this author in her "Detective's Daughter". I am currently reading the 5th in the series "the dog walker". I would be interested to read other opinions because I find all these stories to be quite tedious and garbled. To this day I couldn't tell you what the main character "Stella" or her totally mental sidekick "Jack" actually look like. Is this completely odd, or is it my imagination?
June 2, 2019
All of my rants about the three previous novels in this series are true again. Plus: Kew Gardens! More please.
Maybe I should also say that the crimes that set these stories into motion seem both real and heart-breaking to me. I do not feel manipulated, either emotionally or logically. The characters feel and express pain — I don't feel that those involved in the mystery are merely cardboard figures for the "clever ones" to move around the chess board. I really highly recommend this series.
Maybe I should also say that the crimes that set these stories into motion seem both real and heart-breaking to me. I do not feel manipulated, either emotionally or logically. The characters feel and express pain — I don't feel that those involved in the mystery are merely cardboard figures for the "clever ones" to move around the chess board. I really highly recommend this series.
July 3, 2019
Very enjoyable
One thing about a series is how you get to know the characters. The quirkiness of Stella, Jack, Jackie et al are the joys of these books. I have to say the writing is also quirky and takes a time to work out what’s going on but this one was really good. Murder in Kew Gardens? What a shock. How Stella, Jack and Lucie May uncover the person responsible for a number of murders is entertaining and enthralling. Very enjoyable!
One thing about a series is how you get to know the characters. The quirkiness of Stella, Jack, Jackie et al are the joys of these books. I have to say the writing is also quirky and takes a time to work out what’s going on but this one was really good. Murder in Kew Gardens? What a shock. How Stella, Jack and Lucie May uncover the person responsible for a number of murders is entertaining and enthralling. Very enjoyable!
February 16, 2021
If this book was based anywhere else I'd be giving it 3 stars. There are some obvious anachronisms but it's an enjoyable read and purely for the fact that it's based at Kew and brings back some lovely memories, I'm giving it 4 stars
January 8, 2017
Once again Lesley Thomson offers us a 'who done it' tale full of details that sing to the soul. Thomson again manages to add layers to her familiar characters without bogging us down with unnecessary information, everything she tells us is for a reason. I enjoyed this particular tale because it is focused around Kew Gardens, an area of London I have very happy memories of. Thomson has obviously done her research, and this once again brings us a story that not only entertains and keeps us guessing, it also offers us a real sense of time and place......I just know her next TDD book will be even better!
August 10, 2017
This was a slow, steadily uncoiling mystery with a 1956 prologue, followed by a current narrative with two points of view, and a 1976 backstory, in alternative chapters. Despite seeing some elements before the characters did, I was surprised by revelations at the end. I would like to read more volumes in this series, however, because I liked the detectives' dual careers (cleaning and detection for one, Underground driver and cleaner and detective aide for the other). The protagonist, Stella, is a fascinating individual with a love of cleaning, a sharp mind and absolute belief in her own independence.
May 16, 2018
I thought that this book is more intriguing than satisfying. I really liked the descriptions of Kew Garden and the Marianne North Gallery. I want to see it next time I am in London. The flashback chapters were good, as well as the interaction between Stella and her friends. I found Jack the Underground Train driver/ cleaner very strange. He never seemed to sleep. Also the idea of the cleaners solving crimes is different to say the least. It seemed they detected more with feelings than with evidence or procedure. Tina was much more interesting than Stella for all the book, but Stella is the main character- go figure.
June 2, 2018
This is the fourth book in a series, and I have now read all of them. All kept my interest throughout, but this is the first where the characters really showed some depth. Perhaps that's because each novel builds on the one before it, and the primary characters - Stella, the detective's daughter, and Jack, who is coming to grips with seeing his mother murdered and the emotional toll it still takes 30-something years later - learn more about each other and themselves in each book. I recommend the novels, but they should be read in order.
October 25, 2016
This murder mystery cleverly weaves together events that occur in three time periods, ending in 2014. The solving of a murder by a woman who is an amateur detective made me feel like I might be reading a novel about a grown-up Nancy Drew. There were also elements that reminded me of novels by P.D. James. The interesting notion of a "True Host" murderer, a term I have not heard of elsewhere, is introduced early in the story and strongly influences one of the characters.
March 28, 2018
Excellent author!
This is my fourth book by Thomson. The characters are so interesting and well developed. Once I start one I can't seem to put it down. In each book of the series I learn more about each of the main characters. Great series for mystery fans. She's English so sometimes I need a dictionary!
Give it a try.
This is my fourth book by Thomson. The characters are so interesting and well developed. Once I start one I can't seem to put it down. In each book of the series I learn more about each of the main characters. Great series for mystery fans. She's English so sometimes I need a dictionary!
Give it a try.
January 15, 2017
I'm not quite sure why I like these books. I do like the characters and the writing flows; the conversations do not sound stilted or out of character. I do plan to keep on reading the series and go back to the one I missed.
January 25, 2019
Enjoyable reading although the verbosity was overdone and a little laborious. I felt more information than necessary dragged it out making me skip parts only to go back and re-read fearing I’d missed something. Lots of detail, sometimes confusing but clears up in the end.
July 8, 2017
Flowers dead are alive.
I really love the whole series. I will be glad when new ones come out. Stella and Jack are great together. Please keep up the great writing.
I really love the whole series. I will be glad when new ones come out. Stella and Jack are great together. Please keep up the great writing.
December 18, 2021
Audiobook.
July 31, 2022
It seems a very long book to tell the story it does. I think all of the “true host” rubbish could be left out without detracting from the story.
February 22, 2017
Another excellent instalment in the detective's daughter series, which continues to go from strength to strength. The sub characters are given more depth and I loved Lucie May and her 'corncrake' laugh - more please. Jackie and Jack's relationship just perfect. It felt very domestic and I would certainly like to be part of this family. The backdrop of Kew Gardens and the Marianne North gallery was an added bonus especially as I have visited and had already fallen in love with the location. A few good twists and turns, the occasional red herring and a nail biting finish makes this a very good read. Highly recommended.
March 17, 2025
Some series need to be read in order, but the best can be picked up whenever the library has a copy tagged “available now.” The Detective’s Daughter definitely works out of chronological sequence.
In this novel we find out about the childhood of Stella’s favourite client, Tina. Trying to fit in at her new posh school, the schoolgirl destined to be a lawyer is caught up in a web of deceit spun round her by people she should have been able to trust.
Trust Stella to get to the bottom of it. All in the lush setting of Kew Gardens.
Brilliant.
In this novel we find out about the childhood of Stella’s favourite client, Tina. Trying to fit in at her new posh school, the schoolgirl destined to be a lawyer is caught up in a web of deceit spun round her by people she should have been able to trust.
Trust Stella to get to the bottom of it. All in the lush setting of Kew Gardens.
Brilliant.
January 19, 2021
When I first started this book, I was excited to find it was set an the area I knew well from growing up in West London.
I can't say that I did not enjoy this book because elements were good, unfortunately there were a few errors, eg, neither of the Hammersmith tube stations are on the metropolitan line and the middle initial of one of the characters was not consistent. There were also some grammatical errors, but that may be because I was reading an e-book.
I can't say that I did not enjoy this book because elements were good, unfortunately there were a few errors, eg, neither of the Hammersmith tube stations are on the metropolitan line and the middle initial of one of the characters was not consistent. There were also some grammatical errors, but that may be because I was reading an e-book.
March 10, 2019
So slow and boring and not really going anywhere for the first six chapters, so I gave up. It is incredible how many plots and sub plots writers introduce at the beginning of their novels and go from one to the other confusing the reader.
Although others seem to like this, I didn't.
Would not recommend.
Although others seem to like this, I didn't.
Would not recommend.
June 7, 2021
I didn’t realise that this was part of a series of books. I haven’t read any of the others and I’m giving up on this one because I’m so confused about the characters and even though I’m more than half way through I still can’t identify with any of them - and struggle to match the adult characters to the children. I won’t be reading anymore of these books
June 24, 2023
I really enjoyed this book.
I sat down and read it in one sitting.
This book wasn't very action packed but was cosy enough to keep me entertained.
The characters I really liked- especially Stella and Tina.
This book is the fourth in a series and I haven't read the others and am not planning on doing so.
I definitely recommend this one!
I sat down and read it in one sitting.
This book wasn't very action packed but was cosy enough to keep me entertained.
The characters I really liked- especially Stella and Tina.
This book is the fourth in a series and I haven't read the others and am not planning on doing so.
I definitely recommend this one!
September 23, 2025
The book could easily have been 200 pages and fast paced instead of the snail's pace that it gets to in the middle. It is a testament to my perseverance that I didn't DNF this book multiple times. Agreed the ending is good the twist is good but then it would not have mattered if I had DNF'd it. That's why I say it could easily have been shorter.
November 3, 2024
I love Ms. Thomson's books! With each one, the characters continue to grow and develop. The detailed descriptions of the settings are impressive and well-researched. I particularly enjoy the backdrop of Kew Gardens and the unexpected twists and turns of the story!
May 23, 2017
Worth reading as part of this series, which i have really enjoyed, but this installment has a weaker plot and is overly long. Still looking forward to the dog walker though!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews