3.5 stars
The story follows the lives of Karen, Rex and their daughter Alice years after his release from prison for murder.
Alice has always known what her Dad did and knows that it needs to stay a secret in their new lives. However, she's intrigued by the night in question and starts doing some digging.
Alice is particularly interested in her father’s sister Biba, who has been missing ever since it happened and is presumed dead.
Alice wants to know if her dad took the blame to protect his sister but when she starts getting random notes and mysterious phone calls, she starts to become more wary.
This is a bit of a slow burner, but overall, a good read.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow! Wasn't this one all interconnected and convoluted and intriguing all the way through?
We start in the present when Alice, daughter of Karen and Rex, is just about to open her vintage clothing shop. On the face of things, they are a nice normal suburban family, but there is a dark past that is never spoken of. Back in 1997, when Karen was a student, she shared a house with a bunch of people, including Rex and Biba. A few months after moving in, it all fell apart with the deaths of two people, Biba disappearing, and Rex going to jail for his part in what happened. Told you it was convoluted... But "The Night Of" which it is now known as, is never to be spoken of.
But like all good secrets, this one is about to come out, leaving all our characters shell shocked and exposed, and maybe a little horrified at the truth. As with all secrets, as they get exposed, things all get worse for everyone involved. A lifetime of secrets and lies, some major obfuscation, until everything is all laid bare and the characters have to regroup to work out how to go from there...
As you can imagine, this book is a bit of a slow burn initially. It has to be as there is quite a lot going on and it's all a bit intricate. The layers of the foundation have to be built up in order for the author to subsequently smash them all down. Which she does, and does with great skill!
Apparently, as I have just discovered from other reviews, the characters and what went before have already been introduced in The Poison Tree. I have not read this book and I honestly don't think you need to for this to make complete sense. In fact, it might have been better not to have read it as it might have dampened some of the shocks to be found herein. That said, I now want to, and luck would have it, have just got my hands on the Audiobook.
The characters were all well drawn, some being larger than life! They were hard to get to grips with initially as I got a bit confused with all the secrets and lies and started to get ahead of myself with my guessing. Once I let all that go and just continued to read the book, it all got a whole lot easier for me. I do admit to changing "allegiance" several times along the way though! I also did guess a couple bits early but really wasn't ready for all that was eventually exposed... shocking! But also wholly satisfying. Apart from a few things which I am hoping will be sated when I play catch up with The Poison Tree.
All in all, a cracking book that I thoroughly recommend for fans of the genre. This author is now firmly cemented on my watch list and I can't wait to see what she serves up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love Erin Kelly’s books and this was no exception. Great, believable characters and lots of twists and turns.

I did not realize that this was a follow-up to The Poison Tree when I started reading this book. Even though I have read The Poison Tree I think you can easily read it as a standalone book. I found it enjoyable and easy to follow without remembering anything about it.
I wouldn't say it's a thriller though, more of a family mystery. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Luckily, reviews alerted me that this was a sequel to, ‘The Poison Tree,’ so I could go back and read that first. Alice, just a baby in the first book, is now in her twenties, running a vintage clothing store and has a new boyfriend, Gabe. I do not want to give spoilers, but Alice’s parents, Karen and Rex, have a number of secrets that Alice is unaware of. However, she has certainly reached the age where she is questioning events. Rex’s beloved sister, Biba, is missing, assumed dead. Rex spent many years in prison for a crime which occurred in the first novel and Karen does all she can to keep her little family together.

However, Alice’s growing age and independence means that she is asking dangerous questions, which will see Karen’s ability to control the narrative lessen. More intriguingly, Alice’s obsession with a true crime podcast could see even a third novel featuring these characters. This is difficult to review without giving anything away, so I will just say that I enjoyed it greatly. It is not, for me, as good as, ‘The Skeleton Key,’ but thought it worked well. I would suggest you read, ‘The Poison Tree,’ first though, if you are intending to try this. It does work better in my opinion, if you know the backstory.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

In 1997 strait laced Karen met bohemian Biba. A few months later, two people were dead and another sent to prison. Years later, Karen is now married to Rex (now out of prison) and their daughter Alice begins to receive anonymous notes about her family’s past…

We don’t always find authors that are for us. This is my second of Erin Kelly’s books and here’s the thing: the synopsis & story of her books draw me in but I’m not sure her writing style is for me. While I wanted to see how both stories ended, I just didn’t engage with the narration. I can really see the appeal with her plots and I enjoyed this more than The Skeleton Key but have decided I’m just not sure Kelly is the author for me.

A sequel to the Poison Tree which I did not realise til the end. This is not a thriller more a twisted drama. Multiple dislikeable characters made it a difficult read.

I read this as a standalone and can't wait to go and read the 1st part now!! It was captivating and intriguing. It had me guessing throughout. I loved the multiple povs a d the :unknown: narration just added to the tension. Its so well written and plotted and it all come together perfectly for an amazing ending. It has a good pace throughout and It's just so easy to completely get lost in. Highly recommend

Although this book is a sequel (and I haven't read the first instalment), it is written in such a way that everything comes together and makes sense. Told from multiple perspectives, it gets your cogs turning about the various characters and has many thrilling and suspenseful moments. I haven't read many of Kelly's pervious works, but will definitely rectify that now.

Erin Kelly does it again! An auto-buy/request author for me, and an absolute thriller powerhouse if I may. I couldn’t believe it when I realised I hadn’t read The Poison Tree, but wanted to when I realised this was a bit of a sequel (although it can be read as a standalone although much more enjoyable if you’ve recently read The Poison Tree in my view!). Well what a treat for me getting to read that, followed by The House of Mirrors.

This one picks up when Alice is all grown up, owning a vintage clothes shop in London, supported by her adoring parents, Karen and Rex. Alice starts to receive strange notes, calls, and visits to the shop, and instantly thinks what they all (well nearly all) think when anything kooky is going on - BIBA.

Genuinely, I did not see a lot of the twists coming and oh they kept on coming! I couldn’t put it down, gasped out loud a few times, and the very last part of the book OMG!

An easy five stars from me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I was unaware that "The House of Mirrors" by Erin Kelly was a sequel - I've not read "The Poison Tree" - and I didn't think I was missing great chunks of back story, so all good here... I will however seek it out now. The book is told from several perspectives and the chapters told by an unknown character (although you work it out later) were told in a funny viewpoint - first person but instead of using "I", "you" is used... probably for the uncomfortable effect. The storyline strands came together at about 60% and I found myself understanding what was going on and this made me relax into the story and enjoy the rest of the book for the thriller that it was. I can see that there could possibly be space for another in the series too.

The is a sequel to The Poison Tree, which I have not read, but I don’t feel that I missed out on anything.
Alice is running a vintage dress shop in London, and has a boyfriend, Gabe, who is a cycle courier and eco activist.
Alice’s father Rex has spent time in prison for a murder, but was supported by her mother Karen. His sister Biba, who was present, along with Karen, at the time of the murder, is missing and presumed dead.
When the past starts to catch up with Karen and Rex, and Alice needs to find out the truth, things begin to spiral out of control.
The story is told from the perspective of Karen, Alice, and other female characters, and as twist follows twist, the question is, how far will anyone go to protect the ones they love.
An excellent read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

Another excellent novel from Erin Kelly! This sequel to The Poison Tree exceeded all my expectations. Extremely gripping, and fresher than I thought possible given that I already knew the twists! I’d even go as far as to say that this is her best book for years.

What a fabulous unpredictable read this was. Sophisticated psychological thrillers with realistic, unlikeable characters are what Erin Kelly excels at. I had no idea this novel was a sequel - this was revealed in the afterword and didn't say what it was a sequel to! - but from other reviews I found out that it follows The Poison Tree, the author's debut. I read that in 2016 but although I remember enjoying the book, none of its details lodged in my mind. The House of Mirrors therefore works perfectly well as a standalone. Set mostly in London and Suffolk, it's a suspenseful tale of family and dark secrets, with interesting ventures into vintage designer fashion and eco-warriors. Some of it is narrated by Karen Clarke, a cautious middle-aged woman who is hiding something, while the story is also told by her headstrong daughter Alice, who is starting to question the truth of the events which led to her father being imprisoned and her aunt going missing. I thought the epilogue twist was great. I've read nearly all of Erin Kelly's thrillers and I think this is one of the best.

[Review to be posted on my blog, 14th March]

Erin Kelly never fails to deliver and the House of Mirrors is no exception , I wasn’t aware that this was a follow on from a previous book The Poison Tree but to be fair it works fine as a standalone novel there is enough back story given to make perfect sense, the story follows Karen, who is the mother of Alice and she’s married to Rex who was once in prison for killing 2 people, Rex had a sister called Biba who disappeared years ago and is presumed dead, something Rex has always struggled with and now their daughter Alice starts digging around in their past, which is something Karen tries to stop.
Full of plenty of twists and turns to keep up the suspense with an interesting end.

This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. I hadn't read The Poison Tree so I read that first and I was glad I did as I was completely invested in all the characters in this book. I felt the author did a magnificent job showing the now adult Karen and why she the person she is today. All the characters were very realistic in their actions and reactions and I absolutely love how all the threads came together. I really enjoyed the different narrative voices as well. The plot itself kept me engrossed, with no idea how it would all end. Or perhaps not end! A really great read.

The Poison Tree is one of my favourite books of recent years, so I was thrilled to see a follow up from Erin Kelly on NetGalley.. I don’t think there are enough superlatives to describe how good this book is. Rex and Karen are living a quiet life after his release from prison. Their daughteR Alice has just set up her own business selling vintage clothing and is blissfully ignorant of the existence of her Aunt Biba and much of her parents’ histor.y, until fate intervenes…
An amazing book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy and the opportunity to read it.

In Erin Kelly’s new novel “The House of Mirrors”, Alice Clarke opens a vintage store called ‘dead girls dresses’ without
realising that following her estranged grandfathers death, she will stock her missing presumed dead Aunt’s clothes. Trying to find out what happened to her Aunt is not the only mystery within the novel, with Alice questioning her families story about the events of the summer of 1997 when two men were shot dead, and her father served a prison sentence for the crime. Secrets abound throughout the story, accompanied by many twists and turns.

I’m aware that Kelly’s previous novel “Skeleton Key” was very popular and I had high hopes for this one. The twists within the story propelled the plot along well and were unexpected, making this a fun read. However I have to admit to not really caring about any of the characters and perhaps as a result the novel didn’t get under my skin in the way I need it to for it to be a 5* novel. I’m sure many will enjoy it a great deal though.

Karen, mother of Alice and wife of Rex, met aspiring actress Biba years ago. A few months later terrible events occurred where two were left dead and one went to prison. Years later these events come back to the surface and secrets are revealed.

I didn’t realise this was a follow up to the author’s previous novel, The Poison Tree and although I half wished I had read the previous one first, it did not detract from this story at all and I hugely enjoyed it. It read very well as a standalone novel and I felt I understood the backstory and characters well. I have read quite a few books by this author now and I love her style of writing and this proved to be no different. The details are perfectly placed and make the story and interesting bunch of characters come to life.

There is a great mystery amid all the drama and although it started fairly slowly the pacing soon increases and I was desperate to see what happened next! There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns which were done very well. I also really enjoyed the quirkiness of the shop and the way the chapters include items related to these at the beginning. Overall another brilliant book by this author which I will definitely recommend. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

I am so glad that I read The Poison Tree before I read The House of Mirrors. Not that this does not read well as a standalone, because it does. There is plenty of recap within the story so that we can understand the complicated dynamic between Karen, Rex, Alice and the extended family that plays out within the book. It is just enough for new readers, and a nice recap for those who may have read the original some time before. I jut think that in knowing Karen and Rex, understanding some of the nuances of their lives and why Karen is so protective - very protective - of Alice really did enhance my enjoyment of this book.

This is, to a degree, a kind of thriller, although probably more of a family or relationship drama to me. There are mystery elements to the book, happenings which certainly serve to keep Karen on edge and the reader, especially of those of us who have read Poison Tree, nodding in smug understanding. At least ... that's what we think. As much as I expected I knew where this was going, be prepared for a surprise or two all is not what it seems. We join the family as Alice is on the cusp of opening her own store, a shop selling vintage dresses and giving them new lives with just the right owners. Alice has a real talent for this, something that she has inherited from a creative spark that runs in the family. But strange things are happening around the shop, and a mysterious woman seems to be stalking Alice for reasons unknown. Unsettling enough, but Alice is keeping a few secrets of her own so she has more reason than enough to be jumpy.

I really did enjoy this trip down memory lane with Rex, Karen and even Biba. It fills in many of the missing years from The Poison Tree, whilst also drawing us into the ever complex familial world. Erin Kelly steers us skilfully through the then and now, but in a way that has an undercurrent of unease, as if at any moment the carefully built life that Karen has established may come crashing down around her. This whole story is built on a bed of lies, and that threat of discovery is ever present. So many questions raised as to who might be stalking Alice and why, and who she can really trust when all is said and done. There are many surprises throughout the book, some more shocking than others. Times when I was left thinking 'she can't possibly have', and wondering if, in fact, she really had.

The story is told from a multitude of perspectives. Alice - the focus of so much attention. There are elements of her character which will resonate with people who have read the first book, and her obsession with true crime podcasts, whilst a touch on the macabre side, is understandable. I liked Alice, but saw in her many traits which were easy to connect to her family, and the way in which the author has portrayed her is authentic and sympathetic. Karen I admire for her strength, if not always her actions, and Rex is still as damaged by his family as ever, but with an enduring need to protect those he loves, no matter what that you have to admire. There's is a complex little family bubble, set to be even more complicated by the addition of a fourth - Alice's fiance, Gabe, environmental campaigner and keeper of his own set of secrets. In fact, it comes to mind that there wasn't anyone really capable of authenticity and truthfulness in the whole book other than Peggy, the dog.

But I loved it. Rich in atmosphere and the kind of beautiful, lyrical narrative that the author is known for and which transports you to the heart of the story, it completely held my attention to the very last page. Answering many of the questions I probably didn't know I had about the missing years in The Poison Tree, it was a welcome extension to the story of the Capels and Clarkes, and whether new to their sordid world or not, I think it will be a big hit amongst Erin Kelly's readers. Definitely recommended.