
Member Reviews

Another great book featuring Detective Ffion Morgan. I love her sassy and don't give a d**n character. Great thriller and great characters and writing. I'm already looking forward to the next book.

The third book in this series, and it just gets better and better. The relationship between Ffion and Leo is more stable and Dave is still a handful. In this tale we learn more about Leo's ex-wife, who is a sad and disillusioned character. As ever a complex and clever plot line with the English and Welsh police forces working across the border. Some lovely laugh out loud humour adds to the fun.
Four and a half stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Clare Mackintosh/Little, Brown Book Club UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Net galley and the publishers for an advanced ecopy in exchange for a review. This book is set between England and wales and follows detectives Ffion and Leo as they investigate a murder and set of burglaries and the two cases become untwined with another double murder that happened years ago which is now at a centre of a hit crime pod cast show. This is a follow up of a series with the detectives however I haven’t read the previous books but found this didn’t make a difference as I still really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the plot line was interesting. I will be recommending and looking out for more from this author

Clare Mackintosh will never disappoint me. She draws you into the centre of the plot full of characters we know and love. Pour yourself a glass of red and succumb to the storytelling expertise of this past police officer - I am so glad she gave up the day job!

Very grateful to net galley and the published for my ARC of the newest instalment.
Really enjoyed reading this book, it was not as fast paced as some of her previous books have been but nevertheless it was fantastic.
Loving the exploration of the characters and the relationships alongside the plot. I thought I’d solved it but I was wrong - twice ! Great writing that keeps you guessing .
Huge fan of Claire and so grateful for this book. Thoroughly enjoyable read. Can’t wait for the next one

I liked this. With three separate (but obviously related) cases it was a bit confusing to start. But, once you got into it, all the different elements, characters and points of views kept it really interesting. And, it made it almost impossible to guess who dunnit or what. With short chapters it was also a really easy read. My only criticism was that I would have liked to get to know the 'other people' more to understand their motives better.

Another great read off clare, love the female lead in her books, and again ffion was her usual bolshy brilliant self, can't wait for her next adventure

I’ve loved the first two books in the DC Ffion Morgan series and I’m happy to say I loved the third just as much. A woman’s body is discovered in Wales, which Ffion investigates, while her boyfriend Leo is back in Cheshire investigating a series of break-ins on a street of well to do houses. As the book progresses, it becomes clear that the two cases may not be entirely separate.
Ffion is a great character and the plot for this one was the best yet – so full of twists and turns surrounding the mystery but also introducing far more of Leo, Ffion’s partner, and his social climbing ex wife Allie. Clare Mackintosh has that great balance of an ongoing story surrounding the lives of her main characters which always draws you back in, and a brand new and well plotted case to drive it all forward. Her books just keep getting better and I can’t wait for number four.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Having read the other 2 books in the DC Ffion series I think that this one surpases them both. It is a great read and is easily a stand alone book despite being part of a series.I loved the linking of the cases that Ffion and Leo were individually progressing at the start. Lots of humerous parts especially those concerned with Dave the dog, these were just laugh outloud parts. The snobbery of the residents living on The Hill including Leo's ex wife who lived at the base of The Hill was so well expressed. There was so many suspects in each case and the twists kept coming throughout the story. The characters were so believable and the final twist was genius and totally unexpeted. The story is written from three points of view Ffion, Leo and Leo's ex wife and they are all melded together so well.

This series keeps on getting better and better! The author's skill lies in the characters, including a couple of detestable folks on the Hill, the scene of much of the action, and the couple at the heart of the book, DC's Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady. Much more than a regular police procedural, 'Other People's Houses' has plenty of social commentary and good old fashioned storytelling.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is the third book in a series which I have very much enjoyed. Looking forward to book 4!

Clare Mackintosh has done it again! I love the DC Ffion Morgan series and I think this book is the best one yet.
I absolutely adore Ffion Morgan. She’s so sassy, honest and funny and takes no nonsense which makes her a fantastic lead character. I also love her relationship with Leo, and of course Dave the dog is just wild and brilliant.
I really enjoyed how the 2 cases that Ffion and Leo were working on linked and how both of these stories developed throughout the book.
There is a great balance of mystery and humour throughout. There’s also some incredibly tense and gripping moments that had me turning the pages very quickly!
That ending! I hope we get to hear more from Ffion and Leo in the future!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I do love Ffion Morgan. She is such a great character, so complicated in her own special way, but totally relatable, and it is always great being in her company. Her relationship with Leo makes me smile in that they compliment each other and the chemistry between them is so perfectly pitched that this makes the books as addictive as the top notch mysteries and murders that clare Mackintosh infuses each one with. And this book is definitely laced with both murder and mystery as Ffion and Leo lead two very different investigations that connect in very unexpected ways.
In this latest instalment, Ffion is in the midst of trying to move house, trying being the operative word. Needless to say that when she is tasked with investigating the murder of an estate agent, it really does test all of her diplomatic skills when dealing with the victim's colleagues. Clare Mackintosh has done a top job of tapping into some key stereotypes of estate agents, especially when portraying Ffion's frustrations and personal dislike of the witnesses/suspects. It won't impacy Ffion's professionalism when trying to gain justice for the victim - that's a given seeing as Ffion is a very committed Detective - but it does lead to some of the book's, and Ffion's wittier observations and barbed comments, two of the elements that make her a compelling character and the book such an addictive series to follow.
As for Leo, he is investigating a series of break ins at an exclusive gated community. It's a touch harder to feel for the victims of these incidents given that some of them are not the most sympathetic of personalities, but it does give us a real insight into Leo's personal life. Why - well because his ex wife and son live on the edge of the estate, and his ex especially becomes quite a critical part of the story. I really enjoyed this element of the book, getting to know Leo's ex, Allie, and seeing the way in which it created conflict for Leo and Ffion. Allie is quite the character, pretentious and obsessed with appearances, and whilst she could be annoying, I still felt for her on occasion. Clare Mackintosh has created a very complicated character here but one that is strangely relatable too.
The pacing in the book is spot on, and the mystery builds perfectly. There are clear ties between the two investigations, not just because of who is leading them, and Clare Mackintosh intertwines them brilliantly. There are a myriad suspects between the two cases, and although between the two teams they manage to amass a lot of evidence, the guilty party remains well and truly hidden until the perfect time for a crucial reveal. There is an sense of threat which feed throughout the book, but not so much that it's distracting. It's fair to say that there are distractions enough for Ffion this time around, although one of them will bring a smile to the face of fans of the series.
With a conclusion that ramps up the tempo, and with pulse thumping jeopardy moving the cases a little too close to home for Leo, this book has all the laughter, drama and suspense that I've come to expect from the series. Packed with mystery and misdirection, fans will love it and the ending gives our pair exactly the conclusion you would hope for. Most certainly recommended.

A detective series has to have characters one wants to reconnect with whether they are sweet or grouchy and they need to have chemistry. This is the third in the DC Ffion Morgan series written by a former police officer but my first read and the characters and their connection had me hooked.
Ffion is based in Cwm Coed, Wales, and is dating DS Leo Brady, who is just across the English border in Cheshire and trying to make their personal lives and demanding jobs work.
Leo is investigating a string of burglaries in The Hill, a luxurious and idyllic neighbourhood but suspects the targeted homes are not random and all is not well behind the walls of these posh homes. Meanwhile Ffion has a case of a woman found dead in a kayak in a river. The woman is an estate agent on a retreat with colleagues she had issues with and foul play is suspected. Ffion is also obsessed with a podcast of a cold case of a murdered couple where the wrong person was found guilty.
There’s a lot of characters and suspects on both sides of the border and in the podcast – a lot – and it takes a while to remember who is who and how they all connect but it’s worth keeping track for a riveting mystery. It’s a comforting read, yes there are deaths, but this is more Midsomer Murders than gory serial-killer intensity. Hopefully there’s another outing for these two detectives, but first I have to go back and read the first two in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

You know how good a writer is when you would love to slap one of the characters. Beautifully woven story strands in this story, which is much more than a standard police procedural. Ffion is a fantastic character with her strengths and faults fully shown. It’s also set in a beautiful part of the UK , the borders of Cheshire and North Wales and the scenery descriptions are stunning.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Oh this was good so very, very good and even better than the previous books in this superb series that is getting better and better. So much going on in the book and it had my head fair spinning as I tried to work out how, who, when and why and still it had me fooled although some bits I did guess but it was so cleverly put together I couldn’t figure it all out and now I can’t wait for the next in the series.
Great characters as you would expect from Clare Mackintosh my favourites being Ffion, Leo and of course Dave the dog but also I just adored Allie and her desperate attempts to be included into the lives of the families on the hill that was just genius and very funny!
I loved everything about this book it kept me hooked and I was sad when I finished it and for me it was a perfect read and many,many thanks to Clare Mackintosh for a 5 star read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh
Clare Mackintosh’s Other People’s Houses is an exhilarating, twisty thriller that blends suspense with razor-sharp wit, offering readers a gripping tale of secrets, lies, and the hidden dangers lurking behind closed doors. Known for her jaw-dropping twists, Mackintosh has once again delivered a thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
Set in an exclusive, seemingly idyllic neighborhood, The Hill is the epitome of luxury, safety, and perfection—until someone begins breaking into the homes of its residents. DS Leo Brady suspects the burglar is searching for something—or someone—specific. Meanwhile, across the border in Wales, DC Ffion Morgan uncovers the body of an estate agent pulled from a lake. What starts as a case that seemingly has nothing to do with the mysterious break-ins quickly evolves into something much darker and more complicated.
Mackintosh excels in creating complex, relatable characters who feel as real as they are intriguing. Ffion Morgan, with her sardonic humor and no-nonsense attitude, quickly becomes a standout character, bringing depth and authenticity to the narrative. Her relationship with DS Leo Brady adds an extra layer of tension and excitement to the story as the two uncover shocking revelations and navigate the increasingly intricate case. The dynamic between these characters is one of the many reasons this novel stands out—it’s not just a thriller, but a character-driven drama that explores the impact of secrets on people’s lives.
The plot itself is a rollercoaster of twists and turns, with Mackintosh skillfully blending dark humor and tension to keep readers guessing. Each chapter reveals new layers of mystery and unexpected connections, ensuring the reader is fully engaged from start to finish. The suspense is palpable, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, Mackintosh delivers a gasp-worthy twist that will leave you reeling.
What’s particularly impressive about Other People’s Houses is Mackintosh’s ability to balance suspense with moments of sharp humor, making the narrative feel both thrilling and deeply human. The dark side of luxury and the secrets people are willing to keep are explored with biting commentary, adding depth to the otherwise fast-paced plot.
Ultimately, Other People’s Houses is a captivating thriller that not only provides an edge-of-your-seat mystery but also delves into the complexity of relationships, trust, and the price people are willing to pay to protect their secrets. If you’re a fan of thrillers with heart-pounding twists, complex characters, and a sharp sense of humor, this book is a must-read.
Rating: 5/5
A flawlessly executed thriller that combines mystery, dark humor, and unforgettable characters. Other People’s Houses is another triumph from Clare Mackintosh, guaranteed to leave readers breathless.

When a teenager looking for a missing kayak near a rafting centre. Gets more than he bargain for when he finds the body of a local estate agent inside it and evidence shows that it’s murder. But, who wanted them dead? DC Ffion Morgan is set to investigate.
While boyfriend DS Leo Brady is investigating a series of burglaries in the ‘upmarket’ part of the city called ‘The Hill’ A area of grand houses where everyone would love to live.
Further investigation shows both cases are linked in some ways and also Interwoven in the storyline is season three of a true crime podcast. Where they are following what is happening with the burglaries.
Other people’s houses in book 3 in the DC Morgan series and this series gets better and better. This is expertly written story with plenty of points of view and red herrings along the way to find out who was responsible for the burglaries and why.
This is another great read from the author. It gripped me from the start. I liked the parts of Ffion ad Leo’s relationship getting stronger and there was some heart stopping moments too, especially at the end. 5 stars from me.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. I was able to work out some of the links but did not see the final twist coming at all. A quick paced thriller with very realistic (and sometimes unlikeable) characters.