Synopsis: (Amazon link)
Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.
Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer.
After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.
As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.
In this masterful standalone sequel to her haunting New York Times bestseller, The Family Upstairs, Lisa Jewell proves she is writing at the height of her powers with another jaw-dropping, intricate, and affecting novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth.
Hmmmm… so much I want to say…
First, I really like (or used to like…depends…) Lisa Jewell’s books. The prequel to this book, The Family Upstairs (my blog post), was a great read. When I realized there was a sequel, I immediately bought without reading what it was about which leads me to this point – a “standalone sequel”? What the heck? It is either a sequel or a new novel. I feel a “standalone sequel” is just an oxymoron.
Now to the book…I felt this book was just horrible compared to her other two other books I have read. The language in this book was horrible! The F-word was consistently used by characters who rarely cursed in the first book. The Lord’s name was consistently taken in vain which is very offensive to me. If once or twice is one thing but it was consistently used with the F-word in front. I really do not know why she created these characters so differently (I don’t care if this book technically takes place years later).
This book was also full of sexual encounters/discussions (again, not an issue in the other two books). This wasn’t just sex. The details of one character’s sex life and desires were just a little overboard.
What I found so strange is this book seemed to be totally written by someone else with her name written on the cover. I found myself disgusted reading it and eventually just started skimming the book to get to the ending. I decided to go read a few 1-star reviews on Amazon. Thankfully, I am not the only individual who felt this way concerning the language and sex. Many “Lisa Jewell” fans were amazed that this book was actually written by her. My issue is…do I read any more of her books? I think what I am going to do is read the 1-star reviews for now one to see if that particular book is as good as her other books or if it is a strange and weird as this one.
One last thought… I understand that this book follows the kids who suffered childhood trauma and abuse. However, I think this book could have been a much better sequel. Just don’t even waste your time.
