When buying a house turns out to be not a dream but a nightmare…

Synopsis

An unwelcome guest?

Still in shock after the tragic death of husband Richie, Cassie Macreddin hopes that her new home, historic Hindon House, is the place where she can heal her pain and hide her secrets.

But Hindon House has secrets of its own…

Cassie soon realises that not everyone is pleased at her arrival and that someone is actively trying to make her leave Hindon House….but who? And why?

As events escalate, Cassie must fight to save her home…and maybe even her life.

Don’t miss the brand new thriller by Valerie Keogh! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Shalini Boland and K.L. Slater.

My review

After losing her husband in a tragic accident, Cassie Macreddin is to start again. With buying the historic Hindon House she hopes to have found the place to overcome her pain.
But Cassie soon discovers that all the issues with the house are not based on negligence. And that there is someone trying to chase her away from Hindon House.
When things start to get out of control, Cassie is suspicious of everyone who has been setting foot in her house.
Can Cassie discover the culprit before it’s too late? Or will she be chased away with all her own secrets too? 

I have to admit, this story didn’t go exactly as I thought it would. In fact, it was somehow the complete opposite.
And while that wasn’t a bad thing per se, it made me wary of everything that was happening in the book, because I didn’t know where it was going… 

Losing your husband is a terrible thing, and I can only try to imagine how painful that may be. Yet from the start I felt that there was something we didn’t know about Cassie and Richie’s relationship and how it all ended so tragically. 

Yet I was glad to see how Cassie found the courage to pack everything and take a fresh start somewhere new.
Now, I am always in awe of majestic houses, but imaging Hindon House, its greatness but also seeing it many many flaws, I know that I wouldn’t feel safe in it, for many different reasons, imaginary and not. 

I could understand Cassie, how initially things may seem being done (or not) by herself. And in an old house, it’s normal that perhaps the electricity doesn’t always work as it should. And I absolutely would have acted the same way, if I were truly terrified as Cassie was. 

But despite her fear, I also admired her courage. She won’t let anyone chase her away and she is determined to discover who is after her, or rather after the house.
And I could absolutely comprehend that she grew suspicious of just everyone she met. From the real estate agent who wanted the house for himself, to the renovating team. Just every one could be behind terrorizing Cassie. 

This book was one of those rare books that I didn’t have a clear idea who was behind it all. I had my suspicions, but I couldn’t figure out the motives or even how that person could have done it all on their own… 

And just maybe the extend of it all, the involvements were asking too much of my imagination, but we also know that in real life too things can take a strange turn and that, unfortunately, we shouldn’t be shocked by anything anymore… 

The ending and seeing it al wrapped up with Cassie perhaps left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because it was a bad ending. But because what we discovered at Hindon House left that ugly taste in my mind. And I couldn’t blame Cassie for the choice she made in the end. 

The author for sure wrote a story that keeps you guessing but also that keeps on freaking you out. Because just like Cassie I felt the fear creeping upon me. And even when all the truths came out, and I thought that all the secrets were out in the open, Valerie Keogh wrote a last bit, giving me even more goosebumps…
And that is in fact when a thriller truly succeeds in its purpose, when the reader is left in shock and fear…