Today I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for The House by Simon Lelic! Read on to find out what I thought…

Title: The House
Author: Simon Lelic
Publisher: Penguin UK (Viking)

[Synopsis]

What if your perfect home turned out to be the scene of the perfect crime?

Londoners Jack and Syd moved into the house a year ago. It seemed like their dream home: tons of space, the perfect location, and a friendly owner who wanted a young couple to have it.

So when they made a grisly discovery in the attic, Jack and Syd chose to ignore it. That was a mistake.

Because someone has just been murdered. Right outside their back door.

And now the police are watching them…

[My Review]

The House is the kind of thriller I love – complex, a little bit creepy and peppered with twists and surprise to keep the reader guessing!

It's told in a fairly unique way – at first it seems like the two narrators, couple Jack and Syd, are writing letters or diary-style entries to each other and communicating that way, so we learn a lot about their thoughts, feelings and things they may have kept from each other before. As the novel goes on this style is maintained but it feels less like diary entries and more recounting of the story, making it easier to get into the narrative. It also jumps back and forwards in time a bit; at some points I wasn't sure whether we were in the 'present day' (whatever that was exactly) or further back in time, before whatever the awful incident that happened, actually happened! It all adds to the edgy sense of the confusion this novel manages to portray, and I felt myself getting increasingly on edge at some of the more suspenseful points.

And I should mention – this novel is pretty creepy at times! I love a good horror, and though this doesn't really fit into that genre, there were still plenty of parts that made me feel uneasy along with all the novel's mystery and suspense. There are also some darker themes running through this book which give you pause for thought; Simon Lelic's writing is spot on and, as the novel continues, the story skillfully (and teasingly) reveals more and more about what exactly happened, with layer upon layer of deception becoming apparent…

I hugely enjoyed The House, racing through it in a matter of hours as I just didn't want to put it down, and I would definitely recommend it as a fast-paced, suspenseful and very entertaining read!

[Rating 5/5]

Many thanks to the publisher, Viking, for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review, and for having me on the blog tour!

The House is out in the UK in ebook format on 17 August (buy on Amazon here) and in paperback on 3 November.

Check out the other stops on the tour below: