The Dead House

by Anne Cassidy

Do the answers to Lauren's tragic unsolved past lie in the house full of death?   Lauren and her aunt and uncle are returning to London after years away. For Lauren it is a return to the site of a terrible family tragedy and a house full of ghosts. When she was six years old her mother and little sister were murdered in their home and Lauren's dad was put in prison for the crime. Now she is living a stone's throw from her old house, and despite her trepidation, Lauren is curious to know who lives there now, and how the house will make her feel. When she becomes friendly with Nathan, the son of the new owners, she finds herself back at the scene of so many nightmares—of memories, but also of things forgotten. Lauren blocked out a lot of that fateful day, but now that she's older, things are coming back to her, things that could mean her dad is innocent. After all these years of hating him Lauren now faces the prospect of loving her dad once again. But is it that easy?

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Horror

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot idea itself was great, with some really interesting parts of the book. However, I found it really hard to fully immerse myself into the book. There were quite a few parts where I was sat thinking ‘really’. It wasn’t that the book was impossible to enjoy, as looking back I did like the way it worked out, I just felt like it was a bit of a chore to read. It was as though I was stretching my mind to believe certain aspects – with the saddening part being I was forcing my mind to focus on the less important parts of the story which crept cropping up and weren’t directly related to the core story. In parts it was almost as though the unimportant details were being emphasised too much.

Nevertheless, it’s a good quick read.

[NewMoonGirl (Hazel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As there is no description listed for this book I thought i would start my review by writing whats written on the back cover
- - -
The Dead House
Lauren Ashe is coming back to London from Cornwall to start college; she'll be staying just streets away from the house where she lived as a little girl, with her mum, dad and little sister.
Its should bring back happy memories but for Lauren, going to see her old house just brings back nightmares. Lauren knows she has to face up to the past, she has to find out the truth about her mum and her sister - and her dad.
And the truth lies closer to home than she thinks...
- - -

Lauren was 7 years old when her world was turned upside down. She woke in her mothers bed one morning to find her baby sister Daisy suffocated by a pillow and her mum lying on the floor dead, her father standing holding a knife. From that moment her life was never the same again and she went to live with her Aunt Jessie & partner Donny in Cornwall.
10 years later Donny has taken a new job away from Cornwall & now Lauren is 17 and back in London only a few streets away from her childhood home.
One night she finds herself standing in Hazelwood Road staring at the place she once lived with her family. All she knows is what she saw that morning, her father with the knife fleeing the scene and thats exactly what she told the police them 10 years ago.

After receiving a letter from her father everything Lauren thought true about that terrible night begins to unravel. In the letter her father tells her that he doesn't blame her, she was only little and he understands. Eventually Jessie gives Lauren a bundle of letters her father has sent her over the years from prison & she cannot understand why he keeps saying 'I don't blame you'. Laurens father is going to appeal his case for the second time and his solicitor gets in touch with Lauren asking to meet with her. The meeting does not go quite as Lauren was expecting, the solicitor planting a seed of doubt in her mind that maybe her father might not be guilty & she has to reevaluate everything from that horrific time in her life.

This book got me hooked right from the first chapter. Lauren recounting events from the past, memories that were once hidden resurfacing making her question everything. At the same time she is dealing with problems going on in the present. Jessie & Donny's happy home is falling apart after Donny had an affair with a women at work and then Lauren finds herself in a relationship with a guy named Nathan who lives in the house of her past with his family.
The conclusion was a OMG moment! I have to say that all the way through I never would have guessed how this book was going to end, it kept me turning the pages and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great little book! If you love murder mysteries or a story that will keep you guessing... you will love The Dead House!! It is more YA, and not very scary or gory like I assumed (which I like lol), but it is a wonderful story with very likeable characters! It has twists like you wouldn't believe! I highly recommend this!

[Lezidezi Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 4 for the twist. The story is interesting, but it takes a while to get going and some of the characters are just a little bland.

[Rants and Bants · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very suspenseful book, and actually creepy at times. I wish we would’ve found out what happened to the clown, as he was a creep dude regardless of his not being involved. The part about him peeking in the window, especially creeps me out, and almost gives it a horror-genre feel. It sort of reminds me of one of those made-for-TV movies about real topical issues, which are oftentimes scarier than actual horror films or supernatural-type stuff. Clowns especially, will always be unsettling to some degree.

The one reason I’m giving this only four stars and not five (I originally gave it five), is because the double standard of how the mother and father were treated really bothers me. When people think it’s the father that killed his family, they are, rightly, disgusted and condemning towards him. But when you find out at the end that it’s actually the mother that did it, it’s just an outpouring of pity for her…and I see this type of thing all too much in real life to ignore it. There’s even a part early on where Lauren looks at some article titled something like “Why Men Kill Their Families”, as if only men do it. It was just one step away from uttering the term “toxic masculinity”, a sexist feminazi term used to basically push the belief that only men can be toxic. And then JESSICA…lord help me. She was so cunty, that she still kept trying to somehow put the blame on the father, saying he should have “known” about her mother’s mental illness and stopped her. Ugh. No, it’s nobody’s job to control you mentally ill ass sister. And since she was YOUR sister, and you’re the one who grew up with her, shouldn’t it make more sense that YOU should’ve known something was wrong? I really wish Lauren and Donny would’ve been harder on her, she was just annoying and dramatic throughout the entire book. And the fact is, if we’re not expected to give any slack to the man if there’s a murder-suicide, why should I be any more lenient on women?

Despite that mini-rant, I actually really enjoyed the book. The twist did get me at the end, in a good way, after having thought it was the clown for the longest time. The book did a good job building up all the mystery and suspense, interspersed with flashbacks and memories. Her friend was a good friend (Julie, I think?), and the contrast between London and St. Agnes sounded very clear and I could easily picture them. I liked how realistic it was with Lauren’s busy school schedule and the stress of exams. Nathan was nice, though I wish he was developed a bit more.

Anne Cassidy keeps delivering. I really need to read the rest of Cassidy’s books. I have a few…but must purchase more (like the ones advertised on the back of this one).

[17bushellk003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

KoRThis book was amazing although at times it was a bit creepy. I would reccomend it to 12-15 year olds.It starts of with a girl lauren returing home to london with her aunt and uncle who is like a dad to her.she keeps walking past her old house that she lived in when she was 7-with daisy the baby her mum grace and her dad .A terrible tradagy happened there and she had lived .One morning she woke up seeing her dad hold a knife with blood on it and around her was her mum and sister dead.He was now in prison but before that he gad run away.He thought they were all dead.She becomes friends with nathen a boy who now lives in the old house and he invites her round .she felt uncomfortable and she saw a newspaper article flicker up on his laptop .It was about the murder at the house .He said that he was interested in it but his parents slept in the room were they were killed.she kept getting letters from her dad and the solicitors .At first she was mad but she agreed ti meet with the solicitor .She believed her did not kill them -she believed it was a man who was a child's entertainer .While jessie was gone (cornwall)she decided to stay at nathens .One night she went upstairs to the room of the tradagy .she hadn't been in it since .She felt light headed and feel asleep.She got memories floor back and she had a bad dream .Nathen found her upstairs .She then talked to donny her uncle who had just split up with her aunt.He wanted her back and purrsuaded lauren to go to cornwall with him .When they arrived her aunt gave lauren her mums dolls house and she tried to help fix it but instead she found a letter and this changed everything!!!!!!!it wasn't her dad and he was soon getting released .Overall i found it very interesting .It was a bit if familly and mystery

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good.

So, 17-year-old Lauren has recently moved to London with her aunt and uncle, who have just broken up because her uncle has been seeing another woman (and we later find out that the woman is pregnant).
While in London Lauren can't help but be drwn to the house she used to live in with her parents, and it's dark past.
10-years ago Lauren's mother and baby sister both murdered in her parent's bedroom, and Lauren woke up to see her father holding a knife. Lauren gave testimony against him in court, and he's spent the last 10 years in prison.
Lauren is told that her father might be getting released from prison on appeal, and his new solicitor says that there's another suspect - a clown who they think the family met at a party who killed the same way in at least 2 other cases.
Lauren remembers the clown and begins to question what really happened, and whether her father was really guilty.
Lauren's aunt is having a sort out and gets Lauren's mother's doll's house out of the loft for Lauren to look at. Lauren finds a letter to her aunt from her mother under one of the carpets. Grace had been about to start a relationship with the murderous clown when she realised that he was a paedophile and had run away from him. She had then killed her two girls and herself to save them from the evil in the world, but obviously Lauren survived.

My question is, why would Grace kill herself with a knife? Women usually go for less violent ways to commit suicide, how and why would she stabs herself through the chest?? And wouldn't forensics have been able to determine that the wound was self inflicted?

[16AldenM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a good book, although the plot was a bit vague at times. It was an engaging story and it was a bit hard to get into however it got better nearer the end. It was about a girl who’s mum and sister were killed and it’s basically a mystery story, with sub plots like her aunt and uncles relationship, and her relationship with her boyfriend Nathan. It definitely gets more hooking towards the end.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

why was this so scary, very good though

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this book up today in a charity shop not really knowing what it was about!

Was okay, but not the best

[Annmarie Hogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this, murder, family and a doll house, great 👍 👌 😀

[Bücher-Stöberia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mir ist es relativ schwer gefallen, einen Einstieg in das Buch zu finden. Der Leser erfährt am Anfang nämlich nur bruchstückhaft, wovon das Buch handelt. Dadurch findet man keinen rechten Zugang zu den Personen und der Handlung, das ändert sich aber im Verlauf des Buches.

Lauren wächst bei ihrer Tante und deren Lebensgefährten auf und es ist zunächst nicht klar, was aus ihren Eltern geworden ist. Und ihrer kleinen Schwester. Man ahnt nur, dass etwas Schreckliches geschehen sein muss, denn Lauren hat im Alter von sieben Jahren ihre Heimat London Hals über Kopf hinter sich gelassen. Nun muss sie aber aufgrund von beruflichen Entwicklungen ihrer Tante und deren Lebensgefährten zurückkehren nach London, zu dem Ort, wo vor zehn Jahren etwas passiert ist, das ihr Leben von Grund auf verändert hat.

Auf dieses Geschehen hat Lauren mit Verdrängung reagiert. In ihren Träumen und ausgelöst durch bestimmte Gegenstände erinnert sie sich nach und nach zurück und zusammen mit dem Leser macht sie sich auf zu einer Entdeckungsreise in die Vergangenheit. Sie fängt an, sich zu erinnern, sich den Ereignissen der Vergangenheit zu stellen. Nach und nach ergeben sich immer mehr Informationen, die sich wie Puzzleteile zusammensetzen und anfangen, ein Bild zu ergeben. Ein erschreckendes und beängstigendes Bild, denn Lauren hat als sehr junges Mädchen etwas mitansehen müssen, was man niemandem wünscht. Ich verrate an dieser Stelle natürlich nicht, was vor zehn Jahren geschehen ist. Das müsst ihr schon selbst lesen. Auf jeden Fall aber ist es kein Wunder, dass Lauren darauf mit Verdrängung reagiert hat.

Nach den anfänglichen Startschwierigkeiten entwickelt das Buch einen enormen Sog und ich konnte gar nicht schnell genug lesen, um endlich zu erfahren, wie das Buch enden würde. Denn die Autorin hat ein Rätsel eingebaut, ein großes Fragezeichen, auf das es eine Antwort zu finden gilt. Das ganze Buch hindurch dachte ich, ich wüsste, wie es enden würde. Aber am Ende wurde ich total überrascht. Anne Cassidy hat sich eine Auflösung einfallen lassen, die völlig unerwartet kommt, aber zugleich authentisch und nachvollziehbar ist. Ich bin gespannt, was ihr zu dem Ende sagen werdet, wenn ihr das Buch auch mal lest.

Das Buch trägt zurecht die Bezeichnung „Thriller“, denn es ist durchweg spannend und fesselnd. Da es mit seinen knapp 280 Seiten relativ dünn ist, lässt es sich in einem Rutsch verschlingen. Der angenehme und leichte Schreibstil der Autorin tragen auch dazu bei. Dazu sind die Charaktere alle sehr greifbar und werden dem Leser schnell sympathisch, sodass es Spaß macht, von ihnen zu lesen.

Zwei kleine Kritikpunkte habe ich allerdings: Lauren lernt in London NATÜRLICH einen Jungen kennen. Das stört mich ja nicht weiter, ich lese ja gerne Bücher, die auch von zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen erzählen. Aber: Die beiden kennen sich kaum und es dauert nicht lange, da verlieben sie sich Hals über Kopf ineinander und auch der erste Kuss kommt nach wenigen Tagen. Das fand ich etwas übertrieben und hätte es schöner gefunden, wenn sich zunächst nur eine Freundschaft zwischen den beiden entwickelt hätte. Es geht einfach etwas zu schnell und wirkt dadurch unglaubwürdig.

Außerdem erzählt das Buch auch von den Problemen in der Beziehung zwischen Laurens Tante und deren Lebensgefährten. Hier war mir der Schwerpunkt teilweise etwas falsch gesetzt, da für mich fast schon zu viel über die beiden erzählt wird. Ich hätte lieber mehr von Lauren und ihrer Problembewältigung gelesen als von den Strategien ihrer Tante, wie sie ihre große Liebe zurückerobern kann. Aber das nur am Rande.

Mein Fazit:

Ein spannendes Jugendbuch, das mit einer überraschenden Wendung aufwartet und es schafft, auch erwachsene Leser zu überzeugen.

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Anne Cassidy, another British author, through Tabitha Suzuma. And I am so glad to have started reading her books. She has a knack for not only touching deep real-life topics, creating dark scenarios, and writing complex characters, but she is good at making her works unpredictable. Most of this novel is a mystery, as the protagonist is being haunted by a tragedy that struck her family when she was too young to remember clearly. She keeps getting hit with flashbacks and memories that she didn’t have before, the more she thinks about it and the more she visits her old house where it happened. And the end result was one I did not see coming.

It also has a creepy clown character in it.

I only wish more of her books were in my library system. But, I don’t mind purchasing more ;)

[Jules Goud · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting novel for sure.

I quite enjoyed "The Dead House". I thought that it was an interesting idea that is really brought on by a doll house. It starts off with Lauren, who is living with her aunt (her uncle left them). She is coming back to London and gets drawn to her old house. Her old house that holds secrets and memories. Memories that come up after she is told that her dad is appealing his conviction again.

The end was something that I liked but didn't like. The reason that I didn't like it was because a little bit earlier in the novel, Lauren makes a statement that she sort of revisits, but not really. I thought that there needed to be a little bit of closure of that statement then what was said. However, everything else I really liked and thought that it was a really good ending to the novel (minus the whole statement thingy of course). I don't want to tell you the statement because that would mean that I would ruin the entire novel.

Other than that little issue, I quite liked the novel. I thought that it was a good plot with a little bit of predictability. The romance was ok. It didn't make me roll my eyes, although it did take place pretty fast. The only other thing that I had to do was remind myself that the timeline is actually a couple of months, not days. It feels like this novel is only a couple of days, but it takes place over months (except for the last part of course).

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought that it was a nice easy read and it is perfect if you are looking for something quick and easy to read with a little bit of mystery.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago, and just coming across it now i genuinely can't see why it isn't more popular than it is! This is such a good book!
It contains such a brilliant realistic narrative, which leads you down the wrong path, in the way that I thought the ending would be completely different. The Dead House literally left me thinking about it constantly for a week. I kept going over and over it in my head. I have read it twice, and believe me, I have barely ever read a book more than once.
My only criticism is the romance. Usually in romance books, I get to a point where the characters positively antagonise me, and make me really anticipate the first kiss. In this though, I felt we didn't really know her love interest well enough, and I didn't get as much butterflies as usual.
I would recommend this to anyone, especially teens, as I'm sure, if nothing else, it will provide an interesting read.

[Kaushila · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the novel's plot thought it was great and i like the flashbacks surrounding Lauren's Mom and her sister Daisy's death, it all just fit in with what had happened happened in the book. The book has a twist at the ending i did think maybe it was the Mom but i didn't the author would make the clown the killer but turns out i was right first time round


the cover's great because the doll house is hidden in the darkness and the only light comes from the house in side giving the cover a eerie feeling to it

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read for teens, they are so lucky with all these fab books around for them to read! A well-told tale of how a young girl comes to terms with what actually happened to her mother and sister ten years after they died, having believed that for all of that time, her father had been responsible for their deaths. Lauren has to deal with this knowledge as well as the fact that her aunt and uncle may be splitting up, new love in her own life, rebuilding a relationship with her father as well as studies, it's difficult... Well-written.

[Stazia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book had a great story but I couldn't get myself into the book it was really hard to get into the story and to get caught into Lauren's perspective through the book.. I sadly didn't finish the book I may finish it in a while but I just thought I shouldn't force myself into it it won't be a good idea and I won't enjoy it... But maybe in a while I might find the book interesting but I'll leave it till then^^

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came with one of my 'Vampire Diaries' books which my mum got for my birthday a couple of years ago, so she gave me this book before.
I never read a book like 'The Dead House' before so I was a bit unsure, however once I started to read the book I could not put it down. A truly remarkable book.

[Raz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fantastic narrative and characterization is an integral part of the novel, supporting the intriguing plot line. Even better are the twists and turns taken - I for one definitely did not expect the ending. A truly stunning read.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked to know a little bit more about the actual murder and the prosectution of the clown.
I recommend this book!!!!

[Chantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it, it was so unexpected and a great read. There was a tiny bit of horror and romance and most of all mystery. i enjoyed this book and would recommend reading it?

[Pages and Papercuts]

*unrated*

[Charisse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only put this book down once. a very good read.

[Helena-Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never really understood the ending, but it is an interesting quick read that I would recommend.

[Hibatoallah Samal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like her boyfriend , she din't wanna talk about the prob but he says sorry and continue about it ,it was a good book anyway .

[Jaimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Looking for JJ but still an amazing read :)

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gripped me from the start, but i kept expecting more from it than it was giving. However the conclusion was fantastic, I never expected the book to end the way it did! Really good read!!

[Viktoria Miljutkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but thought that there wasnt't enough romance