Four stars.
Even though I was able to figure out one of the bigger twists in The Village, I still found myself second-guessing my hunch at times and couldn't put it down. The writing was solid, the plot was tight, well-paced, and compelling, the characters were well done and the twists and action just kept coming. The Village was only my second book by Caroline Mitchell, but she is quickly becoming a must read author for me. Definitely recommended to anyone looking for a good thriller.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing/Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review The Village.

Intriguing, different, I liked it.
Not what I expected and very unputtdownable!
Thank you - I would like to read more by Caroline

Talk about a story that grabs a reader from the first page and doesn’t let go until the end! My first & definitely won’t be the last book that I will read by Caroline Mitchell. A great story that had me captivated.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Nighbrook is a town with a tragic history, dark secrets and a very unfriendly bunch of residents. When Naomi moves to the house where the villages most notorious residents vanished she's hoping to solve the mystery. Instead she puts her own family in danger.

Caroline Mitchell has a talent for writing mysteries that are seriously readable but also slightly mental. With this book you think you know. And you do. But then at the same time you don't. Confused? You will be if you read this book. But you'll also be very entertained!

A twisty read that keeps you guessing and always has you on your toes. I liked the storyline, I thought it was very interesting. An enjoyable read a lot of twists and turns

Brilliant! A top notch read with an ending you will never guess - Mitchell just gets better and better.

Former journalist Naomi along with her husband ed and stepdaughter Morgan move into a secluded cottage with a murky past - a family disappeared without trace from there 10 years previously. Naomi has long been obsessed with the case and when the cottage comes on the market she doesn't hesitate to move her unknowing family in so she can attempt to solve the mystery.

I enjoyed the book mostly although the characters were rather one dimensional and the plot was pretty far fetched - some of the sub plots seemed a little unnecessary also. The premise of this book could have made a much more suspenseful novel as I felt it was a little light on atmosphere

An entertaining read though ruined by the fact that it was so unbelievable in places! The premise of the book was good and the twists and turns entertaining but I just couldn’t take this book seriously 😐

A good read
A book full of secrecy
Plenty of twists and turns and revelations
Definitely would recommend
Thanks NetGalley

Caroline Mitchell and I are just not getting along these days.

The Village sounded immensely intriguing and had so much potential. But it didn’t take long to go off the rails. Unlikeable characters, including the main one, Naomi. Cliché stepmother/stepdaughter relationship. Cliché villagers who are obviously hiding something incredibly sinister. I rolled my eyes so much, it gave me a headache. By the halfway mark, I had already stopped caring about the story altogether.

I’m afraid I won’t be picking up any of this author’s books up again any time soon.

A riveting, gripping, and intriguing story that kept me turning pages.
The atmosphere has the right level of creepiness, the characters are fleshed out, and the plot kept me turning pages.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I couldn’t understand Naomi’s obsession with the case. I get it, she was a crime writer, but I couldn’t understand how this case stuck with her so badly she he’d to buy the house and implant herself into the community to try to solve it herself.

Very twisty and definitely kept me guessing and on my toes.

Naomi moves her family to a house with a devastating story, she’s eager to find out the answers from a town trying to hide them!
The village of Nighbrook are not at all welcoming to a stranger asking questions about a family that disappeared. The mystery and intrigue is ‘edge of your seat’ and as scary events unfold, it’s hard to know who to trust!
The twisting and turning and plot that keeps you guessing is well written, a page turner!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A chilling tale of crime, curiosity and consequences. A creepy story with shocking conclusion, it had me on the edge of my seat.

While I really wanted to enjoy this book, I had a hard time truly getting into it, The story felt very draggy to me and I could not really find myself connecting with any character.

This twisty psychological thriller from Caroline Mitchell involves a mysterious disappearance, a village brimming with secrets and a super plot. There's a prominent sense of menace throughout and some fantastic characterisation. Crime journalist, Naomi was well drawn as were many other characters. Set in Nighbrook, the New Forest, Naomi moves there with her wealthy husband, Ed and her teenage stepdaughter, Morgan, a place that couldn’t be more different from London, Naomi’s previous home. There are elements of danger and the ending is terrific and satisfying. A super read!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Amazon Publishing via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book is a mystery that is difficult to solve…the author has woven a story of intrigue…who did it? Where is the family? What really happened? So many questions…who can answer? This book was sent to me for review by Netgalley…

10 years ago the Harper family disappeared without a trace. When crim journalist Naomi realises the house that the vanished from is up for sale, she jumps at the chance to do some serious investigating!
Her husband and step-daughter are along for the ride, but they have no idea of Naomi's ulterior motive for wanting to move to this ramshackle cottage in the middle of a forest. The villagers are less than forthcoming with information about the missing family and when weird things start to happen, Naomi wonders just how far someone will go to keep the truth hidden.
Told in alternate timelines revealing the events that led up to the family disappearance, and present day, we meet a whole host of characters and really don't know who to trust!

*Thank you to Caroline Mitchell, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published online at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-village/

“But the memories that hang heaviest are the easiest to recall.”

― Julie Gregory, Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood

The Village is an atmospheric and terrifying novel that takes place in a small village in England called Nighbrook. This is a book that completely draws you in from the first page. The reader follows Naomi and her new husband and stepdaughter as they move from London to Nighbrook. Naomi’s ulterior motive is that she has been following a mystery as a crime reporter and has bought the very house where the crime took place. The Harper family; Susan, Martin, and Grace, a very sick little girl with an unidentified illness, disappeared ten years ago without a trace. Leaving all the lights on in the house, the oven on and an unfinished breakfast. The town police officer, Lloyd, is very much in the forefront of this story as his memories of the Harper family pervade the book. We know the small village is protecting a secret, but we don’t know what it is.

The villagers of Nighbrook dislike outsiders and are making Naomi’s life difficult, but it is not just them. Morgan, Naomi’s new stepdaughter, is very resentful of Naomi as she feels Naomi broke up her parent’s marriage. The relationship between them is fraught with animosity and jealousy. Morgan’s mother is mentally ill and an addict, but Morgan very much wants to live with her.

The Village will leave you guessing and second guessing what you think happened to the Harper family. There are so many lies, deception and twisty turns. Each person living in Nighbrook, creepier than the next. The story is told through flashbacks, memories, and present time. There are dual points of view but also the reader sits in on the town meetings and we are privy to the inside information of those who live in the village. As one reader said, perhaps there’s something to be said about living in a large, anonymous town or city after all. The entire book makes you feel you are living in an M. Night Shyamalan movie.

This is my first book by Caroline Mitchell, and I loved it. There is everything you want in a mystery; suspense, intrigue, lies. There are two huge twists right at the end that will cause the reader to rethink who they named the perpetrator throughout the entire book. What actually happened to the Harper family? The answer will surprise you.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/01/25/%f0%9f%8e%a7-the-village-by-caroline-mitchell/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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I have read another series by this author and somehow didn't pay very much attention to the blurb, thinking this would be a police procedural. <strong>The Village</strong> is much more a psychological suspense.  Naomi, as a crime journalist, wants to know what happened to a family and buys the home where they disappeared.  Her new husband and step-daughter, Morgan, move to this remote small village and she sets out to solve the mystery.

The villagers are close to hostile right away when she asks about it.  They begin shutting her out.  Strange things happen with people in the house and around the house.  Naomi continues reading old newspapers and searching through old boxes in the loft. The village takes right to gossiping and trying to ruin her credibility.

Meanwhile, Morgan is not pleased to be moved away from her mother and into a remote area.  She pranks and maligns Naomi at every chance.  She even has an online "boyfriend" who she shares her rants about Naomi.  She does manage to make a friend in the new village which gives her experiences to better grasp her current situation.

Just when it seems like Naomi will be stymied, she learns some truths, which set off a chain of unexpected events.  Would she and her family die like the Harpers?  The ending was very exciting and well concluded.