What do you think?
Rate this book
The Red House
Twenty years ago, Joseph Flowers murdered his parents and younger brother in cold blood, before spending the night at a friend’s house as if nothing had happened, then crashing his car into a tree. Since that night, Joseph has been in a coma, and the family farm has become known as the Red House. The place where the walls were covered in blood.
The only person to escape the massacre was Joseph’s five-year-old sister, Eve. Now living her life with a new identity, she finally feels like she’s put her horrific past behind her.
Eve was the only one to witness her family’s murder, and she has never known why Joseph snapped all those years ago – but when she is faced with the decision of keeping her unresponsive brother alive, or letting him die, it might be her last chance to find out.
As she pieces together what happened that night, she will have to question everything she understood to be true, including her brother’s guilt, the stories she’s been told about her parents, and her own innocence.
Because Eve may be a survivor, but she might also be a liar.
The only person to escape the massacre was Joseph’s five-year-old sister, Eve. Now living her life with a new identity, she finally feels like she’s put her horrific past behind her.
Eve was the only one to witness her family’s murder, and she has never known why Joseph snapped all those years ago – but when she is faced with the decision of keeping her unresponsive brother alive, or letting him die, it might be her last chance to find out.
As she pieces together what happened that night, she will have to question everything she understood to be true, including her brother’s guilt, the stories she’s been told about her parents, and her own innocence.
Because Eve may be a survivor, but she might also be a liar.
Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2023
289 people are currently reading
3677 people want to read
About the author
Roz Watkins
12 books131 followersRoz Watkins is the author of the DI Meg Dalton crime series, which is set in the Peak District where she lives with her partner and a menagerie of demanding animals.
Her first book, THE DEVIL'S DICE, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award, and has been optioned by ITV Studios.
Roz originally studied engineering and natural sciences at Cambridge, before studying patent law. She was a partner in a firm of patent attorneys in Derby, but this has absolutely nothing to do with there being a dead one in her first book.
In her spare time, Roz clicker-trains her dog and horse, and likes to walk in the Peak District, scouting out murder locations.
Her first book, THE DEVIL'S DICE, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award, and has been optioned by ITV Studios.
Roz originally studied engineering and natural sciences at Cambridge, before studying patent law. She was a partner in a firm of patent attorneys in Derby, but this has absolutely nothing to do with there being a dead one in her first book.
In her spare time, Roz clicker-trains her dog and horse, and likes to walk in the Peak District, scouting out murder locations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
February 7, 2023
3.5 rounded down
2002, The Red House, shouting, loud bangs and the only witness is five year old Celestine, now called Eve. The perpetrator who kills Andrew and Essie Flowers and their baby is assumed to be Eve’s fifteen year old brother Joseph who, post killing, steals his parents car, drives to a friends house where he works all night on a computer game they’re designing. Joseph drives away next morning, crashes the car and has been in a vegetative state ever since. In 2022 Joseph is still alive but the mystery still surrounds him and interest in the case just as high especially as the hit computer game is believed to contain clues to the killing in a hidden level. Is Joseph innocent? Can Eve discover the truth after all these years? Is she in danger if she pursues this quest?
First of all, I enjoy the first 50% or so. The isolated Red House, surrounded by marshes is extremely creepy and exudes an atmosphere all of its own. There are some excellent vivid images of the house that will definitely stick in the mind. Eve’s portrayal is good especially her desire to stay under the radar and you get a strong sense of just how much she has lost and how isolated she is. She is one of the narrators and I like her tone as although her life has been exceptionally difficult she has a dry, self deprecating sense of humour which does diminish in the second half. She has had choices to make and life has dealt her an unfair hand.
Unfortunately, in my opinion what starts out as a really good book gets absolutely overladen as it seems as if everything but the kitchen sink is chucked into the plot. There are some things that are too convenient and coincidental with so many twists I get dizzy! A few steps too far for me. Some dialogue in the latter part also makes me wince.
Overall, there is much to like about this book but some plot restraint would improve my enjoyment. However, I fully accept I may be an outlier in this point of view.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
2002, The Red House, shouting, loud bangs and the only witness is five year old Celestine, now called Eve. The perpetrator who kills Andrew and Essie Flowers and their baby is assumed to be Eve’s fifteen year old brother Joseph who, post killing, steals his parents car, drives to a friends house where he works all night on a computer game they’re designing. Joseph drives away next morning, crashes the car and has been in a vegetative state ever since. In 2022 Joseph is still alive but the mystery still surrounds him and interest in the case just as high especially as the hit computer game is believed to contain clues to the killing in a hidden level. Is Joseph innocent? Can Eve discover the truth after all these years? Is she in danger if she pursues this quest?
First of all, I enjoy the first 50% or so. The isolated Red House, surrounded by marshes is extremely creepy and exudes an atmosphere all of its own. There are some excellent vivid images of the house that will definitely stick in the mind. Eve’s portrayal is good especially her desire to stay under the radar and you get a strong sense of just how much she has lost and how isolated she is. She is one of the narrators and I like her tone as although her life has been exceptionally difficult she has a dry, self deprecating sense of humour which does diminish in the second half. She has had choices to make and life has dealt her an unfair hand.
Unfortunately, in my opinion what starts out as a really good book gets absolutely overladen as it seems as if everything but the kitchen sink is chucked into the plot. There are some things that are too convenient and coincidental with so many twists I get dizzy! A few steps too far for me. Some dialogue in the latter part also makes me wince.
Overall, there is much to like about this book but some plot restraint would improve my enjoyment. However, I fully accept I may be an outlier in this point of view.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
July 8, 2023
chilling and deeply creepy,
this was right up my alley:
excellent readability, very
relatable main character
and clever plot surprises. ♡
this was right up my alley:
excellent readability, very
relatable main character
and clever plot surprises. ♡
June 25, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
Twenty years ago, Joseph Flowers murdered his parents and younger brother in cold blood, before spending the night at his friend's house as if nothing had happened. then crashing his car into a tree. Since that night, Joseph has been in a coma, and the family farm became known as the Red House. The place where the walls were covered in blood. The only person to escape the massacre was Joseph's five-year-old sister, Eve. Now living her life with a new identity, she finally feels like she's put her horrific life behind her.
I didn't know who I could trust whilst reading this book. There were some really good twists and turns. Eve is a sympathetic protagonist. She's been a survivor since she was five years old. She witnessed a horrific event where most of her family were killed. Her older brother Joseph was accused of being the killer, but he's been in a coma for the last twenty years. Eve is forced to investigate what really happened that night. She also becomes a target for someone from the past. The story is told from several points of view. There's a lot of characters to keep track of. This first half of this book is quite atmospheric.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #RozWatkins for my ARC of #TheRedHouse in exchange for an honest review.
Twenty years ago, Joseph Flowers murdered his parents and younger brother in cold blood, before spending the night at his friend's house as if nothing had happened. then crashing his car into a tree. Since that night, Joseph has been in a coma, and the family farm became known as the Red House. The place where the walls were covered in blood. The only person to escape the massacre was Joseph's five-year-old sister, Eve. Now living her life with a new identity, she finally feels like she's put her horrific life behind her.
I didn't know who I could trust whilst reading this book. There were some really good twists and turns. Eve is a sympathetic protagonist. She's been a survivor since she was five years old. She witnessed a horrific event where most of her family were killed. Her older brother Joseph was accused of being the killer, but he's been in a coma for the last twenty years. Eve is forced to investigate what really happened that night. She also becomes a target for someone from the past. The story is told from several points of view. There's a lot of characters to keep track of. This first half of this book is quite atmospheric.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #RozWatkins for my ARC of #TheRedHouse in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2023
3.25 / 5
I have mixed feelings about the book, I enjoyed the premise of the plot which I found unique and engaging but the second half around 150 pages left is where it drops in quality and consistency. Although I didn’t expect or anticipate the ending in the manner presented, it still had a level of unpredictability which I have to give credit for. But the build up leading up to the ending dragged the plot for so long, that when we reached the ‘final’ part it felt like the suspense had fallen off.
The plot follows the events after 2002, when Joseph flowers is accused of killing his entire family in a shooting at his family home - killing his mother, father and younger brother. His younger sister, Eve survived by hiding. Joseph than fled the scene, spent all night working on a video game on very little sleep and drove back home, only to lose control and crash into a tree. This left him in a comma for 20 years in a ‘vegetive state’. Eve, now older is forced to examine the events (which occurred when she was 5 years old), the game that Joseph worked on was published and rumoured to have contained a secret level that reveals the truth of what happened. As eve is trying understand what happened at the red house, more and more people close to her ends up getting hurt. Did Joseph commit the murders or was it someone else?
I didn’t appreciate how convoluted the ending got. When you think one secret was revealed it ended up revealing a lot more. I had my suspicions which was confirmed but I didn’t expect there to be more. I didn’t really appreciate the build up to the plot, felt really slow and long winded to get to the end. I feel as though Watkins could do revising over pages 250 to 350 which felt like the plot was going on forever. I think this book could have been finished within 350 pages. At points it did feel like the kitchen sink was thrown in the plot - it did go extreme. Overall, this is a disappointing read I do feel slightly annoyed at the high ratings on this book, which sold me a dream that never lived up. Read at your own disappointment. Also I think there is a glitch with this book, it didn’t accept my review until I changed it to the kindle edition, not too sure what’s going on with Goodreads at the moment.
I have mixed feelings about the book, I enjoyed the premise of the plot which I found unique and engaging but the second half around 150 pages left is where it drops in quality and consistency. Although I didn’t expect or anticipate the ending in the manner presented, it still had a level of unpredictability which I have to give credit for. But the build up leading up to the ending dragged the plot for so long, that when we reached the ‘final’ part it felt like the suspense had fallen off.
The plot follows the events after 2002, when Joseph flowers is accused of killing his entire family in a shooting at his family home - killing his mother, father and younger brother. His younger sister, Eve survived by hiding. Joseph than fled the scene, spent all night working on a video game on very little sleep and drove back home, only to lose control and crash into a tree. This left him in a comma for 20 years in a ‘vegetive state’. Eve, now older is forced to examine the events (which occurred when she was 5 years old), the game that Joseph worked on was published and rumoured to have contained a secret level that reveals the truth of what happened. As eve is trying understand what happened at the red house, more and more people close to her ends up getting hurt. Did Joseph commit the murders or was it someone else?
I didn’t appreciate how convoluted the ending got. When you think one secret was revealed it ended up revealing a lot more. I had my suspicions which was confirmed but I didn’t expect there to be more. I didn’t really appreciate the build up to the plot, felt really slow and long winded to get to the end. I feel as though Watkins could do revising over pages 250 to 350 which felt like the plot was going on forever. I think this book could have been finished within 350 pages. At points it did feel like the kitchen sink was thrown in the plot - it did go extreme. Overall, this is a disappointing read I do feel slightly annoyed at the high ratings on this book, which sold me a dream that never lived up. Read at your own disappointment. Also I think there is a glitch with this book, it didn’t accept my review until I changed it to the kindle edition, not too sure what’s going on with Goodreads at the moment.
July 21, 2023
Ridiculous.
If this was a fantasy (and not in a fantastical way either) it may be good but there are so many flaws, inconsistencies and outright ridiculous plot ideas it became unbelievable.
The protagonist is a ‘weak’, hide behind a diagnosis character - I found her so unpleasant. The story would need a thousand lightning strikes in the same place to be possible.
Overall, the book is well-rated on GR, but it did not work for me.
If this was a fantasy (and not in a fantastical way either) it may be good but there are so many flaws, inconsistencies and outright ridiculous plot ideas it became unbelievable.
The protagonist is a ‘weak’, hide behind a diagnosis character - I found her so unpleasant. The story would need a thousand lightning strikes in the same place to be possible.
Overall, the book is well-rated on GR, but it did not work for me.
April 9, 2023
A twisty, turny treat. I took this book on holiday, started to read it on the plane and couldn’t put it down. It’s very visual and I can imagine the film rights being snapped up pretty sharpish. A spooky house, a feisty heroine, a family tragedy, a legendary computer game, an intriguing mystery, clever plot and a brilliant ending I didn’t see coming - it’s all here. Highly recommended.
September 10, 2023
Oh my bloody god! This book!! My heart was racing whilst reading and this is my favourite ending of the year so far.
This storyline is so clever, I loved the twists and turns, especially seeing how the characters were involved. The setting was so creepy and perfect.
This is the first book I have read by the author, I am looking forward to reading her previous and any future books. Another auto-buy author added to my list.
This storyline is so clever, I loved the twists and turns, especially seeing how the characters were involved. The setting was so creepy and perfect.
This is the first book I have read by the author, I am looking forward to reading her previous and any future books. Another auto-buy author added to my list.
May 19, 2023
This is my first book by author Roz Watkins, who has written a series of books previously and this is her first standalone thriller.
The Red House is a dual timeframe novel which tells the story of the Flowers family. Twenty years ago, troubled teenager Joseph Flowers murdered his parents and baby brother and then crashed his car into a tree resulting in a coma. Only his 5 year old sister Eve survived this tragedy and it was her testimony that found Joseph guilty of this horrific crime.
Twenty years later Eve has changed her name, moved away and kept herself out of the public eye despite being part of one of the most famous crimes committed in the UK.
Just before Joseph’s car accident he had created a computer game which thousands of players believe holds the clues as to why he committed this crime, and with the 20th anniversary approaching many gamers are determined to unlock the clues and solve the case.
This is a very atmospheric chilling thriller. The “Red House” where the murders were committed and where Joseph is now cared for by his grandmother is almost a central character itself. Set in the marshes, this creepy, spooky setting adds an extra depth of foreboding.
With multiple characters and differing points of view of what actually happened twenty years ago, the reader is taken on a gripping journey trying to slowly pick apart the truth and who the real killer is.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there were more than enough twists and turns to keep me glued to the kindle screen and a couple of WTF moments which I really didn’t see coming.
The Red House is a dual timeframe novel which tells the story of the Flowers family. Twenty years ago, troubled teenager Joseph Flowers murdered his parents and baby brother and then crashed his car into a tree resulting in a coma. Only his 5 year old sister Eve survived this tragedy and it was her testimony that found Joseph guilty of this horrific crime.
Twenty years later Eve has changed her name, moved away and kept herself out of the public eye despite being part of one of the most famous crimes committed in the UK.
Just before Joseph’s car accident he had created a computer game which thousands of players believe holds the clues as to why he committed this crime, and with the 20th anniversary approaching many gamers are determined to unlock the clues and solve the case.
This is a very atmospheric chilling thriller. The “Red House” where the murders were committed and where Joseph is now cared for by his grandmother is almost a central character itself. Set in the marshes, this creepy, spooky setting adds an extra depth of foreboding.
With multiple characters and differing points of view of what actually happened twenty years ago, the reader is taken on a gripping journey trying to slowly pick apart the truth and who the real killer is.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there were more than enough twists and turns to keep me glued to the kindle screen and a couple of WTF moments which I really didn’t see coming.
July 9, 2023
This was an interesting read but I found I was bombarded with too much information. At times I felt it was rushed and other times nothing was really happening. I did finish this book but it was hard going and I did guess the ending. All in all a strange read. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.
July 11, 2023
Narrated by Lauren Moakes; David Hartley ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved both narrators. Great captivating voice that made this story come to life.
The Red House by Roz Watkins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was an absolute page turner.
I needed desperately to know what happened that night? Who did it and why? And Nate! Who did that? Page turner! Absolute page turner.
Loved both narrators. Great captivating voice that made this story come to life.
The Red House by Roz Watkins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was an absolute page turner.
I needed desperately to know what happened that night? Who did it and why? And Nate! Who did that? Page turner! Absolute page turner.
April 5, 2023
Twenty years ago five year old Eve witnessed her teenage brother murder their family. Although her memory is hazy she cannot find out more from the perpetrator because Joseph has been in a coma since that fateful night. But now there are things happening that make her think Joseph may be innocent after all; can Eve find out the truth before someone stops her. Oh wow, this was a cracking read. Some fantastic twists and that bloody ending I did not see coming. Definitely one to read if you're a crime fiction fan.
July 21, 2025
i needed to finish this before i slept, im glad i did.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
what the actual heck was that?? i’m beyond shocked, confused, sick? this is so good yet so terribly bad?? but like… in a good way? wow.
so basically, it’s about a young girl who, unfortunately, witnesses a homicide when she’s very little. she grows up living a seemingly normal life, but slowly starts uncovering pieces of a secretive past—one that turns out to be nothing like the stories she’s been told. it’s such a captivating book, i haven’t been able to put it down since i started it (yesterday)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
what the actual heck was that?? i’m beyond shocked, confused, sick? this is so good yet so terribly bad?? but like… in a good way? wow.
so basically, it’s about a young girl who, unfortunately, witnesses a homicide when she’s very little. she grows up living a seemingly normal life, but slowly starts uncovering pieces of a secretive past—one that turns out to be nothing like the stories she’s been told. it’s such a captivating book, i haven’t been able to put it down since i started it (yesterday)
February 8, 2024
Wow! Did not see that twist coming!
January 18, 2025
Was not bad, liked the video game concept. The plot was quite disappointing. I mean the last chapter I didn’t expect, but overall I was mainly feeling like “get on with it”
November 19, 2023
This was good but infuriating at the same time.
June 20, 2023
This is a great mystery thriller.
Eve has tried to put her past behind her, and has taken on a new identity.
When she was five years old she saw most of her family murdered but now she’s older she’s starting to question what really happened.
Her older brother Joseph was accused of being the killer but after crashing his car, he has been in a coma for twenty years.
When her grandmother tells her she’s dying, she asks Eve to look after Joseph and ensure he is cared for. When she visits him she is torn as she’s asked if she’d like to help him die as he’s unresponsive. However the next time she sees him, Joseph responds to her voice so Eve knows she can’t let him die. Her uncle on the other hand has other ideas.
With the news about Joseph reaching the press things start to happen to those linked to the family and more than one death is suspicious.
Eve knows she needs to prove Joseph’s innocence, but her life is now in danger too.
This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Eve has tried to put her past behind her, and has taken on a new identity.
When she was five years old she saw most of her family murdered but now she’s older she’s starting to question what really happened.
Her older brother Joseph was accused of being the killer but after crashing his car, he has been in a coma for twenty years.
When her grandmother tells her she’s dying, she asks Eve to look after Joseph and ensure he is cared for. When she visits him she is torn as she’s asked if she’d like to help him die as he’s unresponsive. However the next time she sees him, Joseph responds to her voice so Eve knows she can’t let him die. Her uncle on the other hand has other ideas.
With the news about Joseph reaching the press things start to happen to those linked to the family and more than one death is suspicious.
Eve knows she needs to prove Joseph’s innocence, but her life is now in danger too.
This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
August 23, 2023
The protagonist is really annoying. DNF 12%
Okay I kept on reading. Now everybody annoys me. Also, it’s not very well written.
Repetitive. Abrupt changes in location. Bad dialogue. And- what kind of snakes would go crawling towards a person in an enclosure immediately? At 35% I’m sure to know what happened and now I must keep on reading to confirm. Why oh why is she hiding the most important fact about herself? Now I truly start hating her.
…Okay I confirmed my suspicions and can finally put this terrible book down. It was enough reading a few sentences here and there to get the gist of it all - and get more annoyed, btw.
Okay I kept on reading. Now everybody annoys me. Also, it’s not very well written.
Repetitive. Abrupt changes in location. Bad dialogue. And- what kind of snakes would go crawling towards a person in an enclosure immediately? At 35% I’m sure to know what happened and now I must keep on reading to confirm. Why oh why is she hiding the most important fact about herself? Now I truly start hating her.
…Okay I confirmed my suspicions and can finally put this terrible book down. It was enough reading a few sentences here and there to get the gist of it all - and get more annoyed, btw.
April 7, 2024
Eve is the only witness to her family’s murders, she claimed she saw her brother. Years later she questions what she saw, was it Joseph or someone else? This is a quick read, suspenseful and twisty!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.
July 30, 2023
This was such a twisty, chilling thriller that kept me guessing literally until the very end! This was pretty dark at times and I felt massively for the main character, Eve, who went through so much in her life.
This was incredibly well written and so cleverly plotted, there were so many twists I did not see coming but the one right towards the end was really shocking!
I’d definitely recommend this if you enjoy thrillers with good plot twists.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was incredibly well written and so cleverly plotted, there were so many twists I did not see coming but the one right towards the end was really shocking!
I’d definitely recommend this if you enjoy thrillers with good plot twists.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2025
Wow this book was so good! I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen and who did ‘it’ until the last few chapters, meaning the plot wasn’t cliche and predictable!
The end was super shocking and really unexpected!
The end was super shocking and really unexpected!
August 24, 2025
honestly I have no idea how to rate this so here’s a way to long review. I was confused and had a hard time keeping up through most of the book and that almost never happens to me so I think that made the experience less enjoyable. it was a fun premise but the execution felt a little off. honestly felt like there were at least 3 different storylines of the same story if that makes sense, like she was trying to solve the mystery in 3 different ways, and they didn’t really need each other to complete the book, so it just felt a little all over the place. some of the characters and plot lines were also really unnecessary. the first twist wasn’t the best and quite predictable, but the very last on actually really got me, so I give it bonus points for that. listened to this on audio, think I would recommend to physically read it instead to really keep up with it
October 10, 2023
3.5 rounded down
Not really was I was anticipating. I was expecting more thriller/horror in this book. The plot twist at the end I didn’t see coming though
Not really was I was anticipating. I was expecting more thriller/horror in this book. The plot twist at the end I didn’t see coming though
October 31, 2025
Found this a bit of a drag at the start, but around 60% through it picked up and the ending I so didn't see coming, very clever!
December 8, 2025
The twists made it 5* especially the ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2023
As a huge fan of suspense/thriller/crime novels, the synopsis of The Red House really appealed to me.
A family murdered by their teenage son, their young daughter fleeing into the night, the killer crashing his car and ending up in coma, and a video game hiding the secrets of what really happened.
The setting in the eerie marshes added atmosphere but there was a lot of repetition in the writing (how many times were we told the marsh water was red due to the slaughterhouse or that eels lived in the pool - it seemed like it was mentioned from every person’s perspective and hindered the flow).
Some of the twists and plot devices also seemed far to convenient and unlikely…particularly the final ‘twist’ which I saw coming a mile away after the previous ones.
The inclusion of prosopagnosia was interesting but equally frustrating….everyone relying on one girls recollection of an event and yet no one has figured out/she hasn’t told anyone about her condition (not her grandmother who she lived with? Or perhaps the police?). It felt like an unnecessary complication to a potentially interesting plot.
Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy.
A family murdered by their teenage son, their young daughter fleeing into the night, the killer crashing his car and ending up in coma, and a video game hiding the secrets of what really happened.
The setting in the eerie marshes added atmosphere but there was a lot of repetition in the writing (how many times were we told the marsh water was red due to the slaughterhouse or that eels lived in the pool - it seemed like it was mentioned from every person’s perspective and hindered the flow).
Some of the twists and plot devices also seemed far to convenient and unlikely…particularly the final ‘twist’ which I saw coming a mile away after the previous ones.
The inclusion of prosopagnosia was interesting but equally frustrating….everyone relying on one girls recollection of an event and yet no one has figured out/she hasn’t told anyone about her condition (not her grandmother who she lived with? Or perhaps the police?). It felt like an unnecessary complication to a potentially interesting plot.
Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy.
October 26, 2023
The Red House is an intriguing and compelling mystery thriller. Eve is a believable and sympathetic character with quite a droll manner who has tried to build a life away from the brutal events of her childhood. The descriptions of the red house itself and surrounding swamp area brought to life the creepy location that I think I would certainly want to avoid.
The story itself is cleverly told between two timelines and multiple narrators and builds up first of all questions and then gradually answers about what happened the night Eve’s family died. Some of the situations and events described are heartbreaking and as the book progresses I found myself unsure who to feel sorry for and who to trust.
The story comes together well and although I felt there was a slight loss of pace in the middle part of the book, this is a minor quibble and the revelations build rapidly towards the shocking conclusion with twists-a-go-go at the end! I would recommend The Red House to all mystery thriller lovers.
The story itself is cleverly told between two timelines and multiple narrators and builds up first of all questions and then gradually answers about what happened the night Eve’s family died. Some of the situations and events described are heartbreaking and as the book progresses I found myself unsure who to feel sorry for and who to trust.
The story comes together well and although I felt there was a slight loss of pace in the middle part of the book, this is a minor quibble and the revelations build rapidly towards the shocking conclusion with twists-a-go-go at the end! I would recommend The Red House to all mystery thriller lovers.
April 30, 2023
I’ll start this review by saying I’m not a huge thriller/suspense/mystery fan and this book has only added to that. This book had a lot of different storylines and characters coming and going and used a trope which made it easy to “fudge” who characters really were and what their motives may be. There were various twists which were either predictable or nonsensical or some times both. The main character constantly contradicted herself-sometimes within the space of a paragraph and I just found the whole book quite hard going and a chore to reach the end of.
December 28, 2023
Unexpected twists and turns
A slow start to the book and I honestly didn’t think I was going to like it but then it kept getting better and better and with each revelation and twist I was hooked. A rollercoaster of deceit and secrets that will have you questioning absolutely everyone and everything with a final twist that I did not see coming!
A slow start to the book and I honestly didn’t think I was going to like it but then it kept getting better and better and with each revelation and twist I was hooked. A rollercoaster of deceit and secrets that will have you questioning absolutely everyone and everything with a final twist that I did not see coming!
May 4, 2023
Brilliantly written, so much suspense, intrigue and not knowing who to trust! I loved so much about this thriller and all the aspects of childhood memory, trauma, and realisations in adulthood.
Fantastic book
Fantastic book
December 11, 2023
A solid family thriller with a main protagonist that suffers from face blindness. I listened to the audio which suited the first person narratives, with multiple narrators. So much happens in this book. The twist that ends the book is mind blowing. 4.5 🌟
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews