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Thursday, August 2, 2018

Our House - Louise Candlish

Our House by Louise Candlish

First Paragraph(s):

Friday, January 13, 2017
London, 12:30 P.M.

She must be mistaken, but it looks exactly as if someone is moving into her house.
     The van is parked halfway down Trinity Avenue, its square mouth agape, a large piece of furniture sliding down the ribbed metal tongue.  Fi watches, squinting into the buttery sunlight--rare for the time of year, a gift--as the object is borne shoulder high by two men through the gate and down the path.
     My gate.  My path.
     No, that's illogical; of course it can't be her house.  It must be the Reeces', two down from hers; they put their place on the market in the autumn and no one is quite sure whether a sale has gone through.  The houses on this side of Trinity Avenue are all built the same--redbrick double-fronted Edwardians in pairs, their owners united in a preference for front doors painted black--and everyone agrees it's easy to miscount.

My Thoughts:

Our House isn't actually available in the US until next week, but since it's been out in the UK for a couple of months, fair game.  Hmmm....what to say about this one.  Definitely kept my interest.  I was trying to imagine what I'd feel if I turned onto my street and noticed a moving truck in front of my house and being unloaded.  First of all, I'd likely think there were robbers or thieves.  Unloading though.  Maybe my husband surprised me with something?  This is not the situation in the story that Fi is telling.  She and her husband are separated, sharing custody of their sons.  She was supposed to be gone for another day.  If she hadn't come back early, she'd not have seen the movers.  Why is someone moving into her house?  Her house was not for sale - that she knew of.

I liked this book, though I did figure out several different aspects of it.  And it was populated with some not-so-likable characters.  Fi and Bram were both hiding things - him more than her.  The story is told from various points of view and I liked that.  There were multiple twists and turns - also liked that.  It was well written, but the tale itself had me a bit incredulous.  Could this actually happen?  Maybe.  I do know that it has made me want to take a look at Louise Candlish's backlist.  My final word is that if you are not sick to death of domestic thrillers - pick this one up.  It's got some curious and inventive twists. 

Blurb:

There's nothing unusual about a new family moving in at 91 Trinity Avenue. Except it's her house. And she didn't sell it.

When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she's sure there's been a mistake. She and her estranged husband, Bram, have a modern coparenting arrangement: bird's nest custody, where each parent spends a few nights a week with their two sons at the prized family home to maintain stability for their children. But the system built to protect their family ends up putting them in terrible jeopardy. In a domino effect of crimes and misdemeanors, the nest comes tumbling down.

Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona's children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram's not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses.

29 comments:

  1. I loved this one. So very different from the other domestic thrillers and that twist in the end was really something, huh? I'll definitely check out her new releases and her backlist as well.

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    1. Melody, that was my thought - checking out her other books. She definitely made this sub-genre a bit different.

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  2. I started this one a month ago, and initially I was engrossed. But about half way through, I abandoned it. Not intentionally, I thought I'd come back to it in a couple of days...but I haven't. Maybe now it is time to finish it.

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    1. I think Melody and I will both be curious about what you think, Jenclair. :-)

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  3. I'm totally off domestic thrillers and present tense, so probably won't read this. But I must admit the blurb has me intrigued! I'd never heard of bird's nest custody before - certainly sounds like a better deal for the kids than shunting back and forwards between two homes...

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    1. Yes, it does sound like a good plan for the kids, doesn't it? I don't think I've known of anyone who has tried it though. I think I did read a book where the divorced couple lived in a duplex and the kid went back and forth from side to side. That wouldn't be too bad.

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  4. This sounds so good--totally up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation, Kay. I hadn't heard of it before but will definitely be adding to my #TBR pile...when it's out in the States of course. :)

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    1. You should, J.P.! There was an interesting spin on that whole domestic thriller sub-genre. And it will soon be out here.

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  5. I'm sooo excited for this one! Great review!

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  6. This is exactly not my kind of book, but it sure sounds interesting. maybe someday.

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    1. Probably not the best match for you, Tracy, though one never knows.

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  7. I do like a twisty, turny thriller, so I think this one is for me. Glad you liked it.

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  8. Very intrigued by the sound of this and as I read very few domestic thrillers I may investigate further.

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    1. You might try it, Cath, and see what you think. It's a little different for sure.

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  9. I'm really looking forward to this one - the premise sounds really unique, and now I want to know what these twists are!

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    1. Lots of twists - some not so nice characters - and a little different than you might expect.

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  10. I have this one to read soon; love the cover and the premise. I don't mind when I figure things out as I read.

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    1. Diane, I've read so many crime novels that it's kind of hard to fool me these days. It does happen though. Ha!

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  11. I did enjoy this one because although I started by feeling that the premise was highly improbable it drew me in.

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  12. Yeah, I didn't like this one nearly as much as I wanted to, but it still kept my interest. The characters really are not very likable, which is a bummer, but there's enough going on to keep a reader engaged. I also wondered how believable the whole scenario was -- whether or not it's realistic, it's a chilling premise!

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    1. I saw an interview with Louise Candlish today on the Jungle Red Writers blog (do you read that one?). Anyway, she said it was realistic and she did her research. I think something like this is easier because so much is handled online these days.

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  13. I was offered this one but for some reason didn't take it. It sounds really good and like it is twisty enough to get me past the not so likable characters.

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    1. It was quite curious, Katherine. Yes, the characters are not so likable, but the whole situation is so unbelievable and yet, apparently, can actually happen. So scary!

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  14. Interesting premise. It would be really strange to see someone moving into my house. That's for sure.

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    1. Yes, I thought so. And apparently the whole 'house stealing' thing has happened or been tried at least.

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  15. Can you imagine this happening? Wow... Definitely sounds interesting and I love it when I find an author and then want to explore their backlist of books!

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