3.5 rounded up

Oh my goodness, this certainly opens with a bang. As Anya relaxes in the bath with a glass or three of Pinot Grigio, she hears those pesky mice again above her in the attic. Except of course, it’s not mice at all.

Julia, Anya‘s friend of many years, is newly moved back to Ireland from San Diego, and that’s a story in itself. Her teenage daughter Isla urges her to take a look at what’s been posted on TikTok and so she views it. is this a prank or something way more sinister? Why is someone targeting Julia?

This latest from Andrea Mara is super creepy in places as it taps into your worst fears and nightmares. There are one or two occurrences where I literally jump, and the fact that Julie young son Luca is so full of fear, seems to escalate the readers. Julia lives in a wealthy gated community, and this adds to the weirdness as a couple of neighbours raise the suspicion antenna a notch or two. The behaviour of her ex-husband, Gabe is mysterious and this helps build tension further. There are a few good red herrings along the way and multiple plot twists and turns raising the chill factor. The mostly unable characters add an extra dimension to the plot too.

However, much as I do enjoy this, there’s an awful lot going on with several sub storylines including one from the past as well as a San Diego mystery. This detracts from what I really want to know, i.e. that attic! It’s also told as reflections and flashbacks, which in my opinion slows down the pace of the storytelling. I expected an ending with a bit more wallop for what is mostly immersive and very chilling read. It’s all a bit tidy as well in The Epilogue.

Overall, though, I do enjoy this and it’s a very it’s very easy to read.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Penguin Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.56 s30 comments Mark1,337

Not sure why I love books set in Dublin so much? But I do and when chose this book was pleased once again to be there, maybe coz have never been and love reading the descriptions of the City?, anyway the book…

3 life long friends all are re unioning when the story starts and it looks someone or has scores to settle with them all…but is it all linked with the ‘Loft Craze’ ( very creepy indeed and will leave you to discover that nasty gem ) that is sweeping Tik Tok and impacting them…..and why are they being targeted?

It is a proper whodunit with many false leads, big red herrings and subtle yet very good twists that mean the story is never static as just as you think its maybe wrapped up you realise it isn’t

A posh gated community, jealousies, regrets, lies and secrets all involving a not always pleasant but very readable cast made this a fine read and once again satisfied my keenness for all things Dublin in a book, more than good read16 s4 comments Kate O'Shea848 90

I've d all Andrea Mara's books but this is the best yet. I will even admit, up front, that the first night after I'd been reading it I had to go up to my attic (which is a bedroom) and I checked in ALL the cupboards. Yes, it's that creepy.

The story centres around Julia and her family who, through forced circumstances, are back in Ireland after living in San Diego. Ex-husband Gabe is happy enough because the new house in the gated community of Brentwood, has a studio for him to paint in. Youngest son, Luca, would be fine if he could find pizza they did back home. However daughter Isla is really miserable- she's been dragged from her friends and the sunshine to a life in Dublin and if all that wasn't bad enough someone is putting creepy videos from inside her home on TikTok. Julia was happy enough to come back but that's before she sees the videos and finds out that her one time friend, Anya, is dead.

The rest of the book keeps on being as creepy as the start and Andrea Mara keeps the twists coming at a steady pace. She also manages to walk that fine line between believable and terrifying so well.

Of course I guessed whodunnit a good six or seven times (and believe me, some of the guesses were just plain crazy) but I got it wrong every time.

There's a nice small cast of characters which I also . There were lots of twists but they all made perfect sense (once I'd worked out where I'd gone wrong), there's a nice dual timeline that explains the relationship between Julia and her longtime friends that adds to the plot.

It was all good. I was totally creeped out but after I'd read to halfway I really couldn't put it down so read it in 3 sessions over a couple of days.

Excellent. Highly recommended for existing fans of Andrea Mara or those who really love a good, twisty thriller.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Random House for the advance review copy.15 s1 comment Lit with Leigh589 5,597 Read

RTC. Julie needed a good shake and the entire mystery could've been solved with a security camera but this was still a great read to help pass a 10 hr flight
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