Dark, sinister, brooding, complicated, hopeful, unexpected. I'm not sure I can write a whole lot more about this book as to have the conversations I really want to have would bring us right into the heart of spoiler territory, something that really needs to be avoided when it comes to The Last House On Needless Street. This is a book you with either get or you won't. One that you will either take on face value, no matter how absurd persevere. And that may seem to. be a very strange thing to say about a book. You don't want to have to 'persevere', you want to be absorbed from the off. And in many ways I absolutely was, but I also recognised the original and quirky nature, one that belies the complex, twisted and oh-so-bloody clever nature of the story that lurks just beneath the surface if only you are brave enough to dive right in.

On the surface this is the story of Ted, a man who once stood accused of abducting a young girl from the local beauty spot. Ted is not your average man, it is clear that there are some developmental issues and that the impact of being accused of such a heinous crime has had a hugely detrimental affect on his life. And that's about all I can say about Ted other than the fact that he lives with his cat and, on occasion, his daughter Lauren. But as strange things begin to happen on Ted's street, a neighbour disappearing, a new neighbour arriving, a whole new wave of suspicion falls upon Ted, something not helped by his strange and evasive behaviour.

And that might be about all I can say about the book. This is a book where the less that is said in a review the better. Don't take the length of the review, the lack of clinical analysis that I might usually be guilty of, as an indicator that I didn't enjoy it. Far from it. I really really did. But you will get far more enjoyment from reading the book. From getting to know Ted for yourselves, as this is a real study in psychology. Who is Ted? Father, former mechanic, foodie, cat lover? Abductor? Murderer ...? That is the real crux of the story. As the blurb suggests, you may think you know but be prepared to be challenged. Ted is a character who seems all at once innocent, unbelievably so, and yet undeniably menacing. But which one is he really? Friend or foe? Man or monster?

With very unique narrators and a story that will chill, unsettle and intrigue in equal measure, this is not your straightforward who, where, why or how-dunnit. It is all of those things and none of them. It is blindingly obvious and yet cleverly disguised and it is only when we reach the end that we can really understand. For me this sits somewhere between thriller and horror, not quite fully one or the other. There is no doubt it is atmospheric and suspenseful, that there are moments that will make your skin crawl. It is billed as gothic and I can see echoes of that genre but I'm not sure it fully fits there either. There is an ethereal quality to it, but it is also lodged solidly in the realm of man, as deep rooted as the trees that border that all too dark and ominous wood at the end of Needless Street. Whatever or wherever this book sits, it is one that I'll remember for quite some time. Completely unexpected but tragically and utterly compelling.

I didn't so much as read this book as become entangled in it, creepy, dark, disturbing, twisty and heartbreaking, every time I thought I'd figured it out, another element came along to derail my theory. It's a hard one to review without spoilers but is told by 3 narrators, Ted, a very odd man who takes care of his young daughter and his cat, Dee, a young woman who is convinced that Ted kidnapped her little sister years before, and last but not least, Olivia the cat. I was totally intrigued throughout, I loved trying to puzzle it out through the distinct voices of the characters and was gripped by the sense of mystery and weirdness. All in all, an unusual, very different kind of story and very much worthy reading. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's very hard to review this without spoilers - I thought it was cleverly constructed, very readable, and am really curious to see people discussing it upon release.

This book is disturbing, full of unreliable narrators and characters you aren't sure are real, or are they? It takes a while to get going, and to wonder what is going on but the further you get into the book the more twisted and sick it becomes. It is the kind of plot that, if it were a film, you'd be commenting on out loud the whole time. Worth a read, if you like the twisted!

You'll have to look hard to find a character as creepy and weird as Ted. He made my skin crawl. I hated him. I knew everything there was to know about him. I was wrong. Things are far worse.
Believe the hype this is a must read.
Storytelling at its most powerful.

Thank you to NetGalley, Catriona Ward and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I’m not quite sure how to review this book without spoiling it. WOW. This is not what I expected at all. There are more twists and turns then a roundabout.

Hands up, when I started reading this, I thought it wasn’t going to be for me, but it turns out I was wrong, and I was duly rewarded with a strange, dark, but unique reading experience.

Ted is something of a recluse, he lives in a tumbledown house right beside a spooky forest on Needless Street, he has his cat Olivia for company, and occasional visits from his daughter Lauren. Lauren’s visits are a whirlwind of torment for Ted, (and Olivia) she’s noisy, aggressive, and defiant, but he does his best to instil some sort of discipline, or Lauren has to pay the price for her behaviour!

I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll leave it at that, except to say that this is a tense, creepy but compelling and original storyline, that reads more like gothic horror at times!

This a completely compelling read that shook me to the core and a book that is almost impossible to describe without spoiling it for other readers so I’m not even going to try, just pick it up and read it for yourself I can assure you you won’t be disappointed.
Told from multiple points of view it’s a read that slowly gives snippets of information about what is happening but then twists it round and I was never quite sure of anything, the narrator’s were all odd to say the least but there hidden in the story there were clues and it was a pretty amazing read.
All the way through reading this book is this underlying sense of menace and at times made for some pretty uncomfortable reading but it was so compulsive I found myself desperate to try and fit it all together.
The twists were very very clever, the writing was perfection and it was a book that shocked me many times. I can highly recommend this this to all lovers of thrillers with a difference and I’m sure this will be a big hit.
My thanks to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail/Profile Books, Viper for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Clever, eviscerating psychological noir, this is an immersive and gripping gothic novel which explores shifting voices and points of view. At times, this is very difficult to read with a confronting and unflinching portrayal of horrific abuse. I thought I could see a twist coming a mile off, this time I was wrong. Ward keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final reveal, directing the reader right up until the final shock. Deliciously manipulative!

Wow what a book! This was not at all what I was expecting, it was better. I devoured it. There were so many twists and what twists they were. This is a must read!

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 5*
Writing skill : 5*
Characters : 4*
Pace: 3*
Suspense: 4*
Big-Unexpected-Twist: 5*

So this wasn't at all what I was expecting. I expected it to be good, I'd seen a load of hype about it on twitter, but that twist. POW!
This is a hard one to review without giving anything away, so all I can really say is you have to read this. The characters are complex, to say the least, and the writing is magnificent. I can honestly say this is unlike anything else I've read. YOU MUST READ THIS!

Unfortunately after numerous attempts I have not been able to finish this book. I think the story is probably just a little too quirky for my taste.

All I can say is wow. I just wanted to say something. I’ll do a more thorough review later on closer to publication day, but my goodness, this novel is a work of art

This is an unusual novel; fantasy meets gothic horror meets creepy fairytale.
It’s ostensibly about a loner called Ted who lives at the edge of the woods, his daughter Lauren and cat Olivia, and a neighbour Dee who is searching for her long disappeared little sister, and is suspicious of Ted.
But as the novel progresses, things get stranger and more sinister.
I think you’ll like it if you like dark fantasy and magical realism - one of the narrators is the cat, Olivia.
It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea - I found it quite disturbing - but it kept me guessing and interested, and is well-constructed with a plot that’s always one step ahead of you.
Recommended.

I was so excited when I recieved a review copy of the book from the cool people at @viper.books that I abandoned all other reading plans and got stuck in straight away.

Wow, you'd better believe the hype - this book is fantastic! 😍 I read it in December and it suddenly became one of my favourite books of the year. I was gripped from the very start and literally couldn't put it down, I just had to know what happened next!

It's one of those stories that you're better approaching without knowing anything about it so I won't go into any detail. I'll just say that it's creepy, twisty and incredibly intelligent.🤓 The book has such a wide appeal - You'll love this if you're a horror fan as it's dark, gothic and deeply unsettling. Those of you who prefer psychological thrillers will be wowed by the mindblowing web of mystery and stunned by one of the most original character perspectives I've ever encountered.

The twists in this book are just... I don’t even know how to talk about it without blowing all of the surprises. There are three main narrators: super creepy Ted, in first person, his cat Olivia, in first person, and Dee, a woman searching for her missing sister, in third person. These characters are all introduced early and, weirdly, the cat’s narrative voice was my favourite, and I found her oddly trustworthy. You can laugh at that later once you’ve read the book. It did start to get to a point, maybe about four fifths in, where it started to feel a little bit too much but I’m glad I ploughed on because the payoff was worth the silliness. Give it a go, but be aware that The Last House on Needless Street is nothing like it seems.

I devoured over this astonishing, creepy novel in one long, wide-eyed night and I am still thinking about it now. The story centres on Ted, who lives in a house next to the woods with his cat and his daughter. Next door, a new neighbour moves in - a woman looking for answers to the disappearance of her young sister several years ago. What follows from there is a gothic, unsettling rollercoaster, where what you assumed was going on may be far from the truth. To say much more would be to spoil it, but I highly recommend it if you love thrillers but with the unfolding narrative writing style of Shirley Jackson. This is sure to be one of the most notable books of 2021 - it is engrossing, chilling and made me want to start reading it all over again as soon as I had finished.

Having read the award winning Catriona Ward's incredible debut, Rawblood, it is not surprising that her latest novel, an atmospheric gothic horror, the darkest of fairytales, is one of the books of 2021. In a place that echoes with lost boys, 11 years ago, the haunted Dee lost her little 6 year old sister, Lulu, the Popsicle Girl, disappearing, never to be seen again. Unsurprisingly, Dee's family disintegrated, and her father is now dead. Dee is left petrified of snakes, thinking she knows who took her sister, she fixates on Ted Bannerman, even though there was CCTV showing he was in a store, with scores of witnesses at the time, proving he had nothing to do with the taking of Lulu. The determined and watchful Dee takes up residence next to Ted's dilapidated home, intent on locating Lulu, convinced of Ted's involvement. At the end of the street are the eerie Woods where the gods are buried.

The unprepossessing, oddball and bulky Ted is a strange man, a prisoner of his reclusive and lonely life, living for the times when his young daughter, Lauren, comes to visit, accompanying her as she trundles and tears round the house on her bike. The novel opens with the menacing act of someone massacring the birds in his garden, leaving Ted devastated and upset, trying to work out who would do such a thing. He is often drunk, visits the bug man, is terrified of the green boys in the attic, and has issues with his memories and there are indications that they are unreliable. Ted is desperate for close contact, going on dates, assuming right from the start that he will be rejected. One of the main perspectives comes from Olivia, Ted's beloved cat, an indoor cat all too conscious of the dangers of the outside world, her god given mission to take care of and protect Ted, although there are occasions when she is so furious with him that she looks for her own forms of revenge, although she can never manage to dislodge and smash the picture of Ted's parents. As the story progresses, the ever creeping feelings of unease, tensions, dread and fear, build ever stronger.

Ward's storytelling veers towards the genius in its unsettling structure, the never ending spiral of twists and turns, the complexities and layered depths of the characters are a marvel to behold, including that of Olivia, at no point did I feel secure about understanding what was going on. The author is remarkably adept at keeping the reader off kilter, underlining and compounding the strong sense and threads of continuous instability with the indeterminate circles of time. This is a riveting, standout and utterly unforgettable read that grabs you by the throat and never lets go until the final pages, a tale of terror, trauma, mental health issues, survival and hope. I have absolutely no doubt that this is going to be a book that will do amazingly well, an absolute must read. Hugely recommended! Many thanks to Serpent's Tail/Profile Books for an ARC.

I like the analogy that reading is like dating. Sometimes you click with a book, but sometimes you don’t and that’s okay. I’m afraid for me - this date didn’t go too well. We’re far too different. I’m not a big fan of whimsical and quirky characters. These ones were too out there for me; and that’s okay, because someone else will love this. Unfortunately that person just wasn’t me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I was intrigued by the quotes by Stephen King and the comparison to Gone Girl. I thought this would be a psychological thriller with some horror strands. Unfortunately I’m afraid I had to DNF this, as I just wasn’t getting on with the book. There is some plot. The story opens with Ted seeing the newspaper which has a story about an anniversary-11 years ago a girl went missing and Ted was a suspect. Ted goes to garden where he keeps a bird-keeper and sees that someone has deliberately put glue and birds have died. He starts to think maybe the anniversary and this incident are connected.
I just couldn’t get on board with the writing style. I felt Ted was autistic, with the child-like view he has of the world and I found his relationship with his daughter weird. Then there was a chapter from a cat’s POV and I couldn’t stand it any longer. I’m afraid the just wasn’t for me.