Really interesting and entertaining story! I was very pleasantly surprised. The author shows real skill in his storytelling that makes you feel you are reading a classis mystery. Not the most original story in the world but would definitely say its worth a read!

First of all, a massive thank you to Harper Collins UK for granting my wish on NetGalley to read this book. A new AJ Finn book.. how exciting! It might not be out until the end of February but I dove straight in. This book has been a very long time coming and for me, the wait was absolutely worth it

Sebastian Trapp is a famous mystery writer with a mysterious past of his own. And he is dying. He invites his long time penpal and fan, Nicky Hunter, to come stay with him and his family in his San Francisco home and write a personal memoir for him, for only his families eyes. How could she say no? Will he finally talk about his wife and son who disappeared 20 years earlier, never to be seen again? The house holds many secrets, and those who surround Sebastian have plenty of their own.

This was a slower burning thriller, but one with so much atmosphere and promise. There were plenty of twists and turns that I did not see coming and the ending was superb. I found myself turning pages late into the night on a school night so that tells you something. I just had to know how it would end.

A very clever book, with plenty of literary references. So much fun to read. Get your hands on this February 29th. You can thank me later.

In my opinion, this is so much of a better read than The Woman in the Window. Sebastian Trapp, mystery novelist, invites long-time fan (and penpal) Nicky Hunter to visit him in his dying months at his family home in San Francisco. The Trapp family have had plenty of woes, and his second wife and wary daughter await Nicky’s arrival, interested and a bit unnerved at what the detective fiction expert will find out. She’s there to write a memoir of sorts, but finds a community there, of people whose interest in Trapp is both personal and, well, profitable. Will Sebastian talk about the disappearance of his first wife and son? And who is responsible for the body in the koi pond? It’s quite clear that some history prefers not to stay hidden.