Title: The Family Remains
Author: Lisa Jewell
ISBN: 9781529125801
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pages: 349
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
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.
Official Summary
22 August 2022
I have not read the previous book (The Family Upstairs) but I have ordered my copy. Lisa Jewell is an author I have always enjoyed reading, so when this title appeared on the local Random House Penguin release list, I jumped at the chance of getting my hands on a copy. What a fantastic read.
When you reach for this title, you are in for a unique treat. I loved this book and could not race through it fast enough. You are dropped into a twisty tale that will keep your head spinning as the story unfolds.
The author tells this story from various perspectives over different timelines. At times it almost felt as if two different stories were at play. This makes this book an intriguing read that keeps you slipping between timelines and characters. I loved the way the two stories unfold and then come together. I was kept on the edge of my seat and the ending was not what I anticipated. Lisa Jewell is a fabulously creative author and her books will always sail to the top of my TBR.
When a bag of bones is found on the banks of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu discovers that they belong to a missing person. Retracing this young woman’s steps, he is led to a mansion in Chelsea and a cold case where three people were found dead.
Meanwhile, Rachel Rimmer receives a phone call informing her that her husband was found murdered in his house and France and the local police would like to speak to her. Rachel does not want to discuss her marriage or her husband, there are too many details she would rather keep to herself.
Lucy and her children have finally returned to England, settling in and about to buy her first ever home her brother disappears to find a man from their past who is haunting their present. While everyone is hunting for the truth, no one is prepared for the answers that will reveal just how closely linked they all are.
This was a book that had my head spinning as I tried to put the pieces together. I loved the way two different stories unfolded at the same time and not knowing how they end up fitting together. I have not read the previous book, but I did not feel as if I was missing anything. I am however super excited about adding The Family Upstairs to my TBR. (The order has been placed…. I simply had to.)
I found myself surprised by the characters in this book, they were not who I initially thought they were. Lucy appeared fragile and insecure as she struggles to provide for her children. Her acts left me amazed. As for Rachel, I couldn’t help but wonder how she could be so blind. There were so many red flags that she was blind to. And Henry? Wow, what a character. This damaged man is full of surprises.
I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I was left surprised at every turn. Lisa Jewell is a master at spinning a twisty tale that will leave your jaw-dropping. This book was a wonderful read and it has secured a place in my top ten for the year.
Even if you have never read a Lisa Jewell book before, The Family Remains is a gripping, mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. I highly recommend that you add this title to your TBR…. Be warned, when you read this one, you will find yourself adding The Family Upstairs to your TBR as well. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into that one.
Also by Lisa Jewell
The Family Upstairs
Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.
She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.
Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.
The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.
About The Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Lisa Jewell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone, as well as Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies internationally, and her work has also been translated into twenty-nine languages.
Thank you to Penguin Random House SA for approving my review copy on NetGalley. This was a fabulous read that I have no doubt will be flying off the shelves, so be sure to get your copy quickly. Have you read The Family Upstairs? I am dying to hear what you think, leave a comment below with your thoughts. Until next time…Happy Reading!
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